Integrating Conflicting Goals of the EC Water Framework Directive and the EC Habitats Directives Into Floodplain Restoration Schemes

Weigelhofer, Gabriele; Feldbacher, Eva; Trauner, Daniel; Pölz, Eva; Hein, Thomas; Funk, Andrea

doi:10.3389/fenvs.2020.538139

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Nowadays, studies also try to consider the concept of ecosystem services and integrate the different requirements of the conservation objectives set out in the legislation (Schindler et al, 2016;Weigelhofer et al, 2020). However, the ongoing loss of biodiversity in rivers and their floodplains has not yet been stopped (EEA, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The studies range from more general ones, describing the success of restoration measures (Kondolf, 1995; Palmer et al, 2005; Woolsey et al 2007; Jähnig et al, 2011) to studies that focused on the analysis of indicators and statistical evaluations (Vermaat et al, 2016; Weiwei et al, 2019). Nowadays, studies also try to consider the concept of ecosystem services and integrate the different requirements of the conservation objectives set out in the legislation (Schindler et al, 2016; Weigelhofer et al, 2020). However, the ongoing loss of biodiversity in rivers and their floodplains has not yet been stopped (EEA, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effective restoration measures in river‐floodplain ecosystems: Lessons learned from the ‘Wilde Mulde’ project

Schulz‐Zunkel

Seele-Dilbat

Anlanger

et al. 2022

Internat Rev Hydrobiol

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Over the last 40 years, a growing number of restoration projects have been implemented to improve the ecological conditions of highly degraded rivers and their floodplains. Despite considerable investment in these projects, information is still limited about the effectiveness and the success of such river restoration measures, mainly due to a lack of standardised and interdisciplinary assessment approaches.During the project 'Wilde Mulde-Restoration of a dynamic riverine landscape in Central Germany', we implemented hydromorphological restoration measures (installation of large wood, removal of rip-rap, reconnection of a former river sidearm) along a lowland river in Central Germany. We carried out intensive scientific monitoring of biodiversity, hydromorphology, ecosystem functions and services, as well as socio-economic aspects. A Before/After-Control/Impact (BACI) design was used to identify the spatial and temporal effects of the restoration measures and to distinguish them from changes caused by background variation. For this, we used a comprehensive set of indicators, including abiotic (flow velocity, diversity of riverbed topography, and flow resistance), biological (ecosystem respiration, macroinvertebrates, fish, carabids, vegetation, and birds) and socio-economic (acceptance and public awareness) indicators as well as the ecosystem service indicator aesthetic quality of the landscape. To meet the inherent challenges of such a large-scale field experiment, like unpredictable environmental conditions, we used an experimental approach that allowed us to demonstrate a measurable success of the implemented restoration measures. The majority of the abiotic and some of the biological and socio-economic indicators at the restored sites approached values of a natural reference site while already deviating from values of a nonnatural reference site two years after restoration. In addition to the applied interdisciplinary approach, multiple scales of field investigations and data analyses are essential as key components for evaluating successful river and floodplain restoration projects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective restoration measures in river‐floodplain ecosystems: Lessons learned from the ‘Wilde Mulde’ project

Schulz‐Zunkel

Seele-Dilbat

Anlanger

et al. 2022

Internat Rev Hydrobiol

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“…Their connectivity patterns are also crucial for the provisioning of ecosystem services, including floodwater retention (e.g., Clilverd et al, 2016;Habersack et al, 2015;Schober et al, 2015), nutrient retention (e.g., Hein et al, 2004;Natho et al, 2013;Newcomer Johnson et al, 2016), or greenhouse gas emission retention (e.g., Audet et al, 2013;Funk et al, 2020). Other ecosystem services provided by floodplains include surface water filtration (Mitsch et al, 2001;Noe and Hupp, 2005), groundwater recharge (Hein et al, 2004;Jolly, 1996), water purification (Hein, van Koppen, et al, 2016), and provision of food and fiber (e.g., fish, timber, and other plant resources; Welcomme, 1979). Fisheries supported by floodplain productivity provide one of the most tangible examples of an economically and socially valuable ecosystem service (Opperman et al, 2010).…”

Section: The Ecosystem Functions and Services Of A Floodplainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing floodplains using nature‐based solutions to support multiple ecosystem functions and services

et al. 2021

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Floodplains include unique environments shaped over a long time horizon along rivers and smaller streams and formed by alluvial sediments. As floodplains are flat, often with highly fertile and well-accessible land, they have become the intrinsic focus of human society-while providing a variety of goods and ecosystem services. Intensive land use of floodplains is degrading their natural values and significantly reducing their ecosystem functions and services. A significant part of these key services is related with the ability of floodplains to retain water and nutrients, which can be understood as a flood control and a water-retention function. Although these ecosystems serve a number of other basic functions, the importance of floodplains as a place for water retention during extreme discharges caused by intense rainfall or snowmelt and the supply of water in times of drought are essential under conditions of global change. In order to increase the ability of floodplains to perform these functions, it is increasingly required to preserve the connectivity of rivers with surrounding floodplains and adapt human activities to maintain and restore river ecosystems. This article reviews the recent understanding of floodplain delineation, the most common causes of disturbance, the ecosystem functions being performed, discussing in turn the measures being considered to mitigate the frequency and magnitude of hydrologic extremes resulting from ongoing environmental changes.

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“…Ecosystems in river floodplains are particularly vulnerable and need to be given high priority for their restoration. However, trade-offs between rheophilic and stagnophilic aquatic organisms may prevent a compromise between ecological objectives with regard to restoration (Weigelhofer et al, 2020). This fact also underlines the need to support existing monitoring efforts with new types of monitoring tools (e.g., eDNA, impact-based tools, and functional tools) (Hunting et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network-Based Topological Exploration of the Impact of Pollution Sources on Surface Water Bodies

Sebestyén

Czvetkó

Abonyi

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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We developed a digital water management toolkit to evaluate the importance of the connections between water bodies and the impacts caused by pollution sources. By representing water bodies in a topological network, the relationship between point loads and basic water quality parameters is examined as a labelled network. The labels are defined based on the classification of the water bodies and pollution sources. The analysis of the topology of the network can provide information on how the possible paths of the surface water network influence the water quality. The extracted information can be used to develop a monitoring- and evidence-based decision support system. The methodological development is presented through the analysis of the physical-chemical parameters of all surface water bodies in Hungary, using the emissions of industrial plants and wastewater treatment plants. Changes in water quality are comprehensively assessed based on the water quality data recorded over the past 10 years. The results illustrate that the developed method can identify critical surface water bodies where the impact of local pollution sources is more significant. One hundred six critical water bodies have been identified, where special attention should be given to water quality improvement.

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Integrating Conflicting Goals of the EC Water Framework Directive and the EC Habitats Directives Into Floodplain Restoration Schemes

Cited by 12 publications

References 45 publications

Effective restoration measures in river‐floodplain ecosystems: Lessons learned from the ‘Wilde Mulde’ project

Effective restoration measures in river‐floodplain ecosystems: Lessons learned from the ‘Wilde Mulde’ project

Managing floodplains using nature‐based solutions to support multiple ecosystem functions and services

Network-Based Topological Exploration of the Impact of Pollution Sources on Surface Water Bodies

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