The ecological status of German rivers and wetlands is still deficient. The management of agricultural landscapes adjacent to waters can considerably affect the ecology of rivers, lakes and wetlands, and the land use pressure on riparian areas is permanently increasing (see e.g. Kaphegyi et al. 2015). Against the background of sound scientific knowledge and a broad spectrum of methods is principally available, current nature conservation measures actually seem to be inefficient to reach the targets formulated in order to enhance the ecological situation in our cultural landscapes (e.g. by National Biodiversity Strategies, EU Water Frame Direction etc.).
With the project we aim on the development of an evidence based decision and planning tool. The tool is meant to support spatially explicit planning of conservation measures based on available data and methodological knowledge. Scenario modelling will allow for decision making towards the most efficient and operational setting of measures.
The project is financially supported by the German Environmental Foundation (DBU).
Kaphegyi, T. A. M., Y. Christoffers, S. Schwab, V. Zahner, and W. Konold. 2015. Media portrayal of beaver (Castor fiber) related conflicts as an indicator of changes in EU-policies relevant to freshwater conservation. Land Use Policy 47:468-472.
