✦ LIBER ✦

Habitat restoration along the River Rhine in the Netherlands: putting ideas into practice

✍ Scribed by M.J.R. Cals; R. Postma; A.D. Buijse; E.C.L. Marteijn

No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.

✦ Synopsis

Ecological rehabilitation of the River Rhine initially focused on the improvement of water quality. Protection and restoration of habitats became a target in the Rhine Action Programme in 1992.
In The Netherlands, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) made two visionary plans, 'Black Stork' and 'Living Rivers', which sketched a riverine landscape structure by dynamic hydrological and morphological processes. These plans have been worked out in several steps and targets for feasible nature rehabilitation have been specified. Targets will be improved by the results of the study 'Rhine Econet' an instrument to evaluate ecological networks under various restoration scenarios.
In a densely populated country such as The Netherlands every action influences other functions. Therefore, compatible combinations of measures are needed to neutralize undesirable side-effects of restoration measures.
Since 1989, theory has been put into practice in pilot projects for nature development. Such 'learning-by-doing' projects are intended to provide insight into the physical design principles and ecological perspectives within the context of a strongly regulated river. Ecological monitoring, for which a cost-effective strategy has been developed, is used to evaluate and optimize these projects.
Future initiatives will be challenged to bridge the gap between restoration plans on a local level and rehabilitation strategies on a national and international scale.