26 March 2012: The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) has announced that the Government of Serbia has designated Koviljsko-Petrovaradinski Rit, a Special Nature Reserve, as its tenth Wetland of International Importance.

According to Ramsar, the site features various habitat types along both sides of the Danube and supports large numbers of threatened plant species. It is also a spawning ground for many fish species, amphibians, and diverse species of invertebrates, reptiles and mammals. Human activities carried out on the site include tourism, forestry, hunting, traditional fishing, and cattle breeding to preserve native species. The threats faced by the site include: the spread of invasive plant species; reed burning; illegal fishing and hunting; and infrastructure developments.

Serbia’s designation contributes to one of the goals contained in the Ramsar Convention’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2015, which is to reach a protected area of 250 million hectares by 2015. [Ramsar Press Release]