Kurzfassung

The protection of aquatic biodiversity is a global challenge. Nowadays, aquatic diversity is about as threatened as the biodiversity of the tropical rainforests. The growing pressure on aquatic ecosystems combined with the lack of information on autecology and IUCN red list status of invertebrate species appear to hamper the applicability of standard protection measures, developed for single species, to aquatic ecosystems. Within this Testing and Development (T&D) project, an integrative...
The protection of aquatic biodiversity is a global challenge. Nowadays, aquatic diversity is about as threatened as the biodiversity of the tropical rainforests. The growing pressure on aquatic ecosystems combined with the lack of information on autecology and IUCN red list status of invertebrate species appear to hamper the applicability of standard protection measures, developed for single species, to aquatic ecosystems. Within this Testing and Development (T&D) project, an integrative approach will be developed and implemented in a species-rich project area (River Nister, Rhineland-Palatinate) exemplarily. Thereby, an effective and sustainable protection of aquatic biodiversity in the project area shall be achieved and the potential of this approach shall be demonstrated. Goal of the main project is a sustainable improvement of habitat quality within the project-river to conserve its exceptional species richness in general and in particular the highly threatened freshwater pearl mussel, the threatened thick-shelled river mussel, and the barbel, for which Germany has a special responsibility. Therefore, a comprehensive restoration concept will be developed, which focuses on the advancement of the riparian zone, heterogeneous river structures and the reconnection of old trenches for irrigation as alternative habitats, but it also includes public participation and accompanying research.

Further information on the project can be found here.
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