From conflict to cooperation

An initiative by the Slovene –Austrian Commission for the Drava demonstrates how cross-border cooperation can overcome past conflicts and enhance the quality of life for people along the river.

Soboth Lake, a storage lake built behind the dam as part of the Koralpe- Golica hydroelectric power plant, has been the centre of cross-border initiatives and has developed into a popular tourist site.

In 1989 Carinthian company Kelag began construction of the Koralpe-Golica hydroelectric power plant on the Austrian–Slovenian border. The municipality of Muta, Slovenia, held a referendum opposing the operation of the plant due to detectable cross-border impacts. The referendum argued that any risks caused by the eventual damage to the dam would be incurred on the Slovenian side and there would be a noticeable impact on the ecological condition of the watercourse.

From 1990 to 1992, a team of experts from the Slovenian– Austrian Commission for the Drava River examined the security parameters of the ballast dam and made several technical improvements. Against this background and in cooperation with the representatives of the local community, Kelag compensated the Muta municipality for the detectable impact, and the funds received were invested into the improvement of the public infrastructure.

Creating opportunities for everyone. A storage lake was built behind the dam as part of the Koralpe-Golica hydroelectric power plant. This lake, Soboth Lake, has developed into a popular tourist site, attracting thousands of visitors on sunny days. It was the central motive of several cross-border initiatives. The Muta municipality, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia, organised an international workshop, Muta and the Development Along the River, in September this year. Responses were favourable, with 15 mayors from municipalities along the Drava River and numerous locals attending the discussion with Janez Podobnik, Slovenian Minister for the Environment and Spatial Planning.

Eight new development projects were registered as a result of the workshop, among them the further development of the pathway along the Bystrica to enhance bicycle tourism, and construction of an artificial wetlandto reduce the impact on the water body from tourism infrastructure.

Bringing stakeholders together. The paramount importance of the workshop is reflected by active public participation in planning the development along the river, and the merit for this can primarily be attributed to the Faculty of Pedagogy at the University in Maribor and the Association of the Slovenian Geographic Societies, which engaged major economic users of the Drava River (Kelag and Drava Power Plants) and the Fishing Association of Slovenia in the participation.

“The interaction of science, economy and civil society aimed at the development along the shared river will also be the central topic of the International Conference on the Drava River in February 2007 in Maribor,” announced Podobnik in his introductory speech to the workshop. The promising results of the LIFE Programme on the Upper Drava in Austria and the Muta Workshops provide a solid base for further cooperation and enhancement of the quality of life for both countries sharing the river.

Mitja Bricelj is Understate Secretary of the Ministry of Environment,
Slovenia, and Head of the Slovenian Delegation to the ICPDR.

Next: The ICPDR in the spotlight

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