Phys. Geog. Geom. 2025, 48(2): 60–72

https://doi.org/10.17721/phgg.2025.48.2/130.06

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The Educational Eco-Project “Danube: From Delta to Sources” as a Didactic Model for Spatial Environmental Management

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Sergii Yu. Bortnyk (1,2), Tetiana М. Lavruk (1)   

1) Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 64/13, Volodymyrska St, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine

2) Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, St. Żeromskiego 5, Kielce, 25-369, Poland

Abstract

The Danube River is a strategic axis of the Pan-European ecological network, currently experiencing fragmentation due to anthropogenic activities and geopolitical challenges caused by russia's war in Ukraine. Post-war recovery, in line with the European Green Deal, requires training specialists capable of integrating environmental priorities into spatial planning through modern project management. This study substantiates a didactic model of professional competence development based on the educational eco-project “Danube: From Delta to Sources”. Using a systemic approach and inquiry-based learning, the research applies a methodological inversion: the “Delta-to-Sources” logic (upstream approach). This approach focuses on analyzing the consequences in the delta and their underlying causes. Students learn to develop management decisions at three hierarchical levels (transnational, regional, and local) using agile approaches, scenario modeling, and an orientation towards creating ecological value. The study identifies spatial conflicts (“grey zones”) and geopolitical threats to the eco-network. A factual database, which includes the morphostructural features of the basin, a location register, and an indicator species matrix, serves as the basis for multi-level tasks ranging from GIS inventory to crisis management. The interactive “Delta Dilemma” case and stakeholder matrix serve as an effective toolkit for developing students' skills in making multifunctional decisions. The proposed inversion combines macro-regional analysis with local modeling, fostering transboundary responsibility. The obtained results provide a viable model for science education and spatial planning to support a common environmental policy in the Danube Basin countries.

Keywords

didactic model, spatial planning, environmental management, ecological network, Danube basin,  European Green Deal

Received: December 2, 2025 / Accepted: December 28, 2025 / Published online: December 30, 2025

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