Danube brings visitors to unspoiled Baja, but also threat of pollution

Three massive carp are floundering in a pool in the middle of the yard as Balazs Barkuti prepares to cut them up, in keeping with the strict rules set for Danube fishers. This evening his family hotel is expecting 17 visitors from Budapest. They will be staying in Baja, overlooking the island of the same name in southern Hungary, 150km from the capital. Here halászlé, or fisherman's soup, is a must, to such an extent that a great stewpot hangs at the entrance to the picturesque town.

In summer, the Baja fish-soup festival attracts hordes of visitors to the town and to the nearby Gemenc national park. People here are said to eat more fish – 66kg a year on average – than anywhere else in Europe.

The nature reserve, with its many islands and quiet inlets, is still in more or less the same state as before the great river was regulated. The park is renowned for its century-old willows and great oaks, its black storks, trees and red deer.

"Ever since I was a child I have dreamt of living here," says Barkuti, 32. "The island hasn't changed in 100 years and I want it to stay the way it is for my two children to enjoy." Barkuti's dream came true five years ago when he left Budapest and a job stuck in front of a computer. "I enjoyed the excitement of the city but after a while I'd had enough," he says. "There aren't many places in the world you can find the peace and quiet we have here on the banks of the Danube."

However, in the course of its 2,850km journey across Europe, from the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania, the river suffers a great deal. Dams and reservoirs have damaged its reputation as a natural waterway, pollution and waste have soiled its water. Last year, toxic sludge was released into the Danube after a dam burst at an alumina plant. "In the morning I hear a series of tiny explosions," Barkuti says. "The reed beds along the river bank trap the plastic bottles as they float past. When the sun heats them up, they go pop!"

In September 2009, Hungary and Croatia agreed to protect the area between the Danube and the rivers Mura and Drava. This set in motion a process that culminated at the end of March when the first two countries were joined by Austria, Slovenia and Serbia. Together they established a trans-border Unesco biosphere reserve to protect Europe's Amazon, a scheme that the green campaigning group WWF had been advocating for about 10 years.

The new protected area extends over five countries, along 700km of river, and encompasses some 800,000 hectares of unique natural and historic landscape. It is Europe's largest riverine protected area.

The reserve is home to white-tailed sea eagles – with Europe's highest concentration of nesting pairs – and other endangered species such as little terns, black storks and sturgeon. It is also a vital stopover for more than 250,000 migrating birds.

"The rare species we see here know nothing about borders," says Tibor Parrag, head of nature conservation at the Danube-Drava national park. "It was essential to create a nature reserve to protect biodiversity. The agreement signed by the five countries will act as a catalyst for all of us."

This seems to suit local residents. Every year some 50,000 visitors flock to Baja (population 40,000). Cross-border protection of the Danube secures the region's future as a tourist destination. "Apart from tropical rainforest, there is no equivalent in terms of biodiversity to these flooded lowlands," says Arno Mohl, the Mura-Drava-Danube biosphere reserve project leader at WWF Austria. "The reserve will also play a key role in promoting eco-tourism. We hope the agreement will put an end to unsustainable schemes to regulate the rivers, as well as sand and gravel dredging, which still threatens this exceptional river ecosystem."

Under the European Union strategy for the Danube, decided on 13 April, which places considerable emphasis on environmental improvements, funding will be redirected to the nature reserve, which has yet to receive the Unesco seal of approval.

Along the riverfront in Baja the cafe terraces are packed. Barkuti is welcoming his guests, who have just arrived. He promises them a candle-lit dinner on the terrace overlooking his garden. "There was a time when we could drink the water from the Danube and use it for making soup," he says.

"I don't know if that'll be possible in the future, but if we stop throwing all our rubbish in the river, the fish will be pleased. And it make no sense dividing up the Danube with borders. The river will have a future if the countries join forces to protect it. The pact they've just signed is a good start."