Croatia’s threatened floodplains

 Chris: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English, the programme where we discuss a topical subject and introduce you to some of the interesting vocabulary connected to that topic. I'm Chris and with me today is Rosie. 

Rosie: Hello. 

Chris: Rosie, are concerned about the environment? 

Rosie: Yes, I am! We need to be aware of it and make a real effort to preserve our natural resources. 

Chris: So you’ll be very interested in today’s story. It’s about a group of environmentalists in Croatia who want to preserve - to maintain in unaltered condition - one of the country’s major rivers: The Danube. 

Rosie: Oh, I know a lot about the Danube, Chris. It’s the second longest river in Europe, flowing through several countries - and its floodplain forests are home to a great deal of wildlife. Floodplain is a vast flat area bordering a river and subject to flooding. 

Chris: We are going to learn the details of this story shortly. But first, here comes our traditional quiz. Are you ready for it, Rosie? 

Rosie: Yes, go for it! 

Chris: You seem to be very familiar with the River Danube but how much do you know about other important rivers around the world? So tell me which one of these rivers is the longest? Is it: 

(a) The River Ganges, in India 

(b) The River Yangtze, in China or 

(c) The River Nile, in Egypt 

Rosie: It's c) the River Nile, in Egypt! 

Chris: That’s a good guess. I'll let you know by the end of the programme. 

Rosie: I’m very keen to know about what’s happening to the Danube. 

Chris: Rosie, there are plans to regulate the river flow, which could have an impact on the floodplains and their wildlife. Listen to a report from the BBC’s Nick Thorpe. He explains what the Croatian agency for waterways is planning to do. 

BBC correspondent Nick Thorpe: 

The Kopacki Rit area, where the River Drava flows into the Danube, is one of the best preserved areas of floodplain forests in Europe. It’s a major fish-spawning area, with ancient willow¹ forests which flood each summer, and is home to large populations of rare white-tailed eagles and black storks². The Croatian Agency for Inland Waterways plans to regulate both the Drava and the Danube - reinforcing river banks with rocks and constructing groynes to concentrate the water flow. 

Chris: So we heard in the report that the river is a major area for fish-spawning area - where they breed. And it’s home to large populations of birds like eagles and storks. But what did the reporter say the agency is planning to do, Rosie. 

Rosie: It’s planning to reinforce - or strengthen - the river banks with rocks. It’s also going to construct groynes to concentrate the water flow. 

Chris: A groyne. The agency argues that by building this type of wall from a riverbank will help to improve shipping³ and give further protection against flooding. 

Rosie: And how could this affect the animals that live on the floodplains, Chris? 

Chris: Tibor Mikuska leads one of the environmental groups that are campaigning against the construction work. And he will explain why he thinks the proposed plans are a problem. 

Environmental campaigner Tibor Mikuska: 

Regulation projects try to fix the river to the concrete corridor, and that’s causing, as a consequence, riverbed deepening, and as a consequence we have a drop in the water level, both river and ground water level, so the area adjacent to the river will dry up slowly but steadily⁴. 

Chris: We heard there that the water regulation projects will cause a drop in the water level, what will cause the area near the river to dry up. 

Rosie: If there is no water at all on the floodplains, if it dries up, it could affect the ecosystem⁵ - that’s a word which describes the animal and plant life that lives in a particular environment. 

Chris: So the question is: What is Croatia doing to protect its wildlife? Let's listen to the final part of BBC’s Nick Thorpe report to find out. 

BBC correspondent Nick Thorpe: 

Parallel to the scheme, Croatia, Hungary and three other countries in the region have already signed an agreement to create a biosphere⁶ reserve, linking already protected areas into a single unit. Croatia is due to join the European Union next year. EU experts are studying the regulation plans and are expected to announce their conclusions soon. 

Rosie: Ah, they’ve signed an agreement with other countries in the region to create a biosphere reserve. This is a huge area in which the environment is protected. It is internationally recognized and chosen by the national government. 

Chris: They are established with the help of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

Rosie: So there is hope that the wildlife that lives on the Danube’s floodplains. 

Chris: Sure. And let’s hope all the other major rivers in the world are cared for too. Especially the ones on our quiz, Rosie. 

Rosie: So go on, give us the answer! 

Chris: Which one of these rivers is the longest? Is it: 

(a) The River Ganges, in India 

(b) The River Yangtze, in China or 

(c) The River Nile, in Egypt 

Rosie: I said c) the River Nile, in Egypt. I'm pretty sure I'm right! 

Chris: Well, you are correct indeed! It is The River Nile, in Egypt, with almost 6,700 km. So well done, you got it right! But we are running out of time so let’s concentrate on some of the words we heard today - especially useful for people who follow the news and want to know about the environment. The words are... 

Rosie: to preserve 

a floodplain 

a fish-spawning area 

to reinforce 

a groyne 

to dry up 

an ecosystem 

a biosphere reserve 

Chris: That's all we have time for today but do join us again for more 6 Minute English and for more help with any aspects of your English language studies go to our website BBCLearningEnglish.com. Bye for now! 

Rosie: Bye! 

Vocabulary and definitions to preserve to maintain in unaltered condition 

a floodplain a vast flat area bordering a river and subject to flooding 

a fish-spawning area area where fish breed 

to reinforce to strengthen 

a groyne a type of wall from a riverbank 

to dry up to become totally devoid⁷ of water or moisture 

an ecosystem a particular environment where certain animals and plant life survive 

a biosphere reserve This is a huge area in which the environment is protected. It is internationally recognized and chosen by the national government. They are established with the help of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

1 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

2 storks   

n.鹳( stork的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Meg and Jo fed their mother like dutiful young storks. 麦格和裘像一对忠实的小鹳似地喂她们的母亲。 来自辞典例句
• They believe that storks bring new babies to the parents' home. 他们相信白鹤会给父母带来婴儿。 来自互联网

3 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

4 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

5 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

6 biosphere   

n.生命层，生物圈

参考例句：

• The entire biosphere was becoming more transparent.整个生物圈越来越透明。
• The impact of modern technology on the biosphere is evident worldwide.现代技术对生物圈的影响在全世界是明显的。

7 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。