Management challenges related to long‐term ecological impacts

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Last Updated December 13, 2018, 12:55 (UTC)
Created December 13, 2018, 12:54 (UTC)
E-mail ask@boku.ac.at
Language Eng
Abstract Publication in River Res. Applic.: For centuries, rivers have experienced massive changes of their hydromorphic structures due to human activities. The Danube River, the second largest river in Europe, is a case in point for long‐ term societal imprint. Resulting human‐induced pressures are a key issue for river management, aiming to improve the ecological conditions and guarantee the provision of ecosystem services. As the most international river basin in the world, the management of the Danube is particularly challenging and needs a well‐organized cooperation of 19 nations. The recent river basin manage- ment plan has identified pollution and hydromorphological alterations as most pressing problems, but it has also acknowledged newly emerging issues. In this article, we present 3 specific exam- ples of highly relevant issues for the future river basin management of the Danube: (a) long‐term impacts in the catchment such as changes in flood patterns and potential ecological conse- quences; (b) complex feedback loops linking the spread of neozoa with intertwined stressor responses due to river engineering for different purposes; and (c) linkages between different assessment approaches based on European legal frameworks to analyse the specific pressures at different spatial scales. These examples highlight the need for a more integrated approach in future Danube River Basin management schemes. Furthermore, large‐scale effects such as cli- mate change and interactions of multiple pressures need to be addressed in future management to increase resilience of the river system and to allow a sustainable ecosystem‐based manage- ment of rivers.
License CC-BY-4.0
Classification Environment
Creation date 2018-10-08
Publication date 2017-12-13
INSPIRE theme Habitats and biotopes
Free keywords EU Habitat Directive, EU Water Framework Directive, hydrograph, hydropower production, multiple stressors, navigation, neozoa, river regulation
Responsible party Organisation: BOKU
Email: ask@boku.ac.at
Role: Resource provider
Spatial extent - North 50.24
Spatial extent - South 42.08
Spatial extent - East 29.76
Spatial extent - West 8.15

Dataset extent