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Conservation by restoration: the management concept for a river‐floodplain system on the Danube River in Austria
Author(s) -
Tockner K.,
Schiemer F.,
Ward J.V.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
aquatic conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1099-0755
pISSN - 1052-7613
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0755(199801/02)8:1<71::aid-aqc265>3.0.co;2-d
Subject(s) - floodplain , riparian zone , hydrology (agriculture) , flood myth , river morphology , channel (broadcasting) , alluvium , national park , endangered species , environmental science , geography , ecology , geology , geomorphology , archaeology , habitat , sediment , cartography , geotechnical engineering , engineering , electrical engineering , biology
1. One of the last remnants of a functional alluvial landscape on the Danube extends from Vienna to the Slovakian frontier. It is recognized as an ecosystem extremely worthy of protection and therefore has been designated as a National Park (‘Alluvial Zone National Park’). 2. However, surface connectivity has been reduced and floodplain habits have been fragmented. At present, lateral exchange processes of matter are restricted to short‐term flood pulses, while most of the year backwater processes are de‐coupled from the river system. 3. A very high species diversity is recorded for this section, with a high proportion of endangered species in all groups, ranging from 16% for riparian vascular plants to 100% for amphibians and reptiles. High diversity is mainly a result of the remaining spatial array of water bodies of different age across the river‐floodplain complex (between‐channel diversity). 4. A successful conservation strategy for this floodplain area requires a management scheme based on a solid conceptual foundation of the key processes in river‐floodplain systems. Re‐establishing hydrological dynamics is recognized as the most vital step, because other processes are influenced by the flow regime and resulting connectivity. Therefore, a large‐scale pilot project has been developed for a segment of the free‐flowing section to restore gradually the hydrological connectivity between the river and its floodplain. 5. The side‐arm system will be reconnected to the main channel by lowering parts of the riverside embankments. After implementation, the side‐arm system will be integrated with the flow regime of the river for more than half of an average year (at present: <8 days per year). 6. A key challenge in the evaluation of the effects of restoration is the development and testing of an appropriate monitoring scheme, which has to include a wide range of physical, chemical, geomorphic, and ecological parameters. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.