River Restoration

Evaluation of Wetlands and Floodplains Areas in the Danube River Basin (WWF Auen-Institute, Germany for UNDP/GEF)
(see also article in "Ecological Survey")

This article is the second part of the so called "Wetlandstudy" and was prepared by the WWF-Danube-Carparthian-Programme and the WWF-Auen Institut (WWF-Germany), under the guidance of the UNDP/GEF team of experts of the Danube Programme Coordination Unit (DPCU) in Vienna (today ICPDR, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube Basin).

This part contains the methodology and evaluation of potential restoration areas. As a result of numerous alterations to the Danube and the other rivers investigated, there is a

general problem of deepening of the channel which has an important influence on the restoration potential. In particular the deepening reduces the frequency of flooding. This problem has to be addressed and measures to prevent this deepening as well as remedial measures are necessary.

The evaluation of the rehabilitation potential considered only former floodplains with a width of more than 1km. Both the existing segmentation and the land use data have again been used. The evaluation have been classified in four classes and the main factors used were:

Experience shows that political and socio-economical conditions (property structure, status of the area, political decision-makers) play a far more important role in the realisation of rehabilitation projects than the actual land use. These factors, however, have not been examined in detail and require further investigation. The results are represented in the map "Restoration of Former Floodplains in the Danube River Basin)". The areas recommended for restoration are areas with a high rehabilitation potential. The selection of these areas is based on critera such as realisability, transboundary character and regional knowledge of ecological value. 17 potential restoration sites with an effective restoration area of app. 290 000 ha was carried out as the result of the evaluation, one example of the lower Danube shows the historical view (1900), the landuse data (Corine 1994) and the recent situation before the rehabilitation (Landsat 1997).
(Reference: DANUBE POLLUTION REDUCTION PROGRAMME (1999): Evaluation of Wetlands and floodplain areas in the Danube River Basin. WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme and WWF-Auen-Institut (WWF-Germany))

In 1999 a first study with Romanian proposals for pilot projects of ecological restoration was prepared by the Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development under the guidance of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme. The following diagram shows the general framwork of ecological rehabilitation disposed for the lower Romanian Danube (Reference: Romanian Ministry of Waters, Forest and Environmental Protection/ DDNI/ WWF-DCP (1999): Green Corridor of Lower Danube Floodplain, Romanian Sector; Romanian Proposals for Pilot Project of Ecological Restoration (Calarasi-Raul Islet, Crapina Complex), Tulcea/Vienna.

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© FLUVIUS, Vienna 2005