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Themes |
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9.
Rivers, lakes and other inland waters |
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Theme
organiser: |
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Norbert Hölzel
(University
of Münster/University of Gießen, Germany), Ilona
Leyer (University of Marburg, Germany) |
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Theme
description: |
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During
the past decade the chemical
water quality of rivers, lakes and inland waters has considerably
improved in many regions of Europe. However, this process is not
necessarily followed by a restoration of formerly existing species
and communities most often due to dispersal limitation and structural
deficits of the aquatic and riparian habitats.
After a
series of disastrous floods the
reactivation of floodplains for water retention has become a hot
topic of environmental policies. Measurements for flood-prevention
such as the removal of levees potentially provide great opportunities
for the restoration of entire floodplain ecosystems. However, this is
mostly not the case, since purely technical solutions such as higher
levees and flood-polders are often preferred by engineers, landowners
and politicians. To provide realistic alternative concepts for the
development of functional floodplains is surely one of the biggest
challenges to restoration ecology in Europe. |
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