The Jiu River flows south from the Carpathian Mountains through several Romanian counties before joining the Danube near the Bulgarian border. Covering 16,758.59 km², the Jiu river basin supports 1.46 million people and is characterized by agriculture, forestry, and coal mining. Human interventions, such as dams, have contributed to erosion and environmental challenges, while floods and droughts continue to impact the region, which includes several EU Natura 2000 protected sites. The basin faces interconnected challenges related to water availability, the transition to a carbon-neutral economy, climate change adaptation in agriculture, and wetland restoration along the Danube, requiring balanced resource management and nature-based solutions.
