Rhinau (dpa / lsw) – Less fortified banks, islands in the river: According to German and French experts, an area of ??the Upper Rhine should be redesigned. “We want to make the Rhine more natural,” said Bettina Saier, head of the ecological station of the regional government council in the Tauber Gießen nature reserve, on Friday in Rhinau, Alsace.
The project called “Rhinaissance” with participants from Germany and France is unique in this form, said the expert Christian Blum from the French region of Grand Est, which also includes Alsace. The feasibility study now presented covers the Rhine and its floodplains on the French Ile de Rhinau and in the Tauber Gießen nature reserve (Ortenau district/ Emmendingen district).
Among other things, the experts suggest partially removing the hard bank reinforcements on the Rhine. The main stream should also be better connected to the arms of the old Rhine. Experts can also imagine creating islands in the body of water. So-called ascents for fish are to be set up on thresholds.
The study was funded by the EU, the regional council of Freiburg and the French region of Grand Est. According to Blum, several steps are still needed to put the binational project into practice. The first work could start in 2025.
“The past hot and dry summer has shown that our rivers are exposed to ever more extreme stressful situations and thus also the animals and plants that live there,” said Saier. Natural bank areas and a river that offers species-rich habitats are therefore important. With around 17 square kilometers, Tauberguss is one of the largest nature reserves in Baden-Württemberg.
