Low water levels in the Danube and Drava have transformed the landscape of Kopački Rit, with experts warning that forest and vegetation are advancing rapidly. Scientists from the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering have been monitoring the park's transformation for years.
Kopački Rit, usually almost entirely underwater, is now covered in reed beds and vast meadows. During the heatwave and low water levels in the Danube and Drava, the park received little to no water, drastically changing the landscape. This is not the first time this has happened, but experts warn that the process could accelerate.
Mario Spajić from Croatian Waters told HRT that Kopački Rit is a huge retention area. "The area of 17,100 hectares is indeed a large retention that, depending on the water level, can hold anywhere from 150 to as much as 500 million cubic meters of water," Spajić said.
Vatroslav Škrunjug, a nature warden at the Public Institution for the Management of Kopački Rit, explained the difference in water levels: "The water level now compared to, say, an extremely high water level is about seven to eight meters." Due to the low water level, Hungarian tourists who wanted to take a boat through Kopački had to change their plans and instead took a boat along the main channel.
The possible transformation of Kopački Rit has been discussed over the last 15 years or so. The scientific symposium "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" has been held for several years, and already in its first iteration, experts from the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering in Zagreb pointed to measurements showing sediment growth in Lake Sakadaš of about 10 centimeters per year. At the same time, GPS measurements showed that Kopački is "sinking" by a few centimeters each year.
Prof. Dr. Željko Duić, a full professor at the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering in Zagreb, warns of the critical nature of the situation: "Low water levels are quite critical. Forest and vegetation are advancing rapidly."
When asked about sedimentation and erosion and the possible shallowing of Sakadaš, Duić said: "But we still need to quantify this more precisely in order to have accurate figures on the progress."
Duić emphasizes that some processes we are witnessing, even if they occur in our time, do not mean they did not begin much earlier. "These are all natural processes. All these wetlands, and we are talking about geological time, tens of thousands of years, eventually become something else," he added, also reminding of human activities that have "hastened" the process.
Upstream, via water waves, sediment arrives in Kopački, and then also thanks to human interventions in countries preceding Croatia. Dams, water reservoirs were built, riverbeds were deepened, and sediment accumulated in Kopački. At that time, it was said that action was needed on our side as well to preserve Kopački and Sakadaš.
Despite the critical conditions, the park still offers visitors special experiences. Varja Gutert, head of the Promotion and Sales Department at the Public Institution for the Management of Kopački Rit, emphasizes: "We certainly want to tell our visitors that the first morning cruises are extremely interesting because nature and wildlife have their own biorhythm. In the morning, they feed and take flight."
