Abstract
Large river-floodplain systems are hotspots of biodiversity and ecosystem services but are also used for multiple human activities, making them one of the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. There is wide evidence that reconnecting river channels with their floodplains is an effective measure to increase their multi-functionality, i.e., ecological integrity, habitats for multiple species and the multiple functions and services of river-floodplain systems, although, the selection of promising sites for restoration projects can be a demanding task. In the case of the Danube River in Europe, planning and implementation of restoration projects is substantially hampered by the complexity and heterogeneity of the environmental problems, lack of data and strong differences in socio-economic conditions as well as inconsistencies in legislation related to river management. We take a quantitative approach based on best-available data to assess biodiversity using selected species and three ecosystem services (flood regulation, crop pollination, and recreation), focused on the navigable main stem of the Danube River and its floodplains. We spatially prioritize river-floodplain segments for conservation and restoration based on (1) multi-functionality related to biodiversity and ecosystem services, (2) availability of remaining semi-natural areas and (3) reversibility as it relates to multiple human activities (e.g. flood protection, hydropower and navigation). Our approach can thus serve as a strategic planning tool for the Danube and provide a method for similar analyses in other large river-floodplain systems.
Highlights
River-floodplain systems are among the most endangered ecosystems worldwide, with up to 90% of floodplains in Europe and North America strongly impaired by human activity (Tockner and Stanford, 2002)
Floodplains are a key element of the EU Green Infrastructure Strategy (Schindler et al, 2014), where green infrastructure is defined as ‘a network of natural and semi-natural areas that deliver a wide range of ecosystem services,’ i.e., systems with high multifunctionality including provision of habitats, flood regulation or clean water (Garmendia et al, 2016; Schindler et al, 2014)
Floodplain agriculture combined with related floodprotection measures has led to a substantial reduction in floodplain areas hydrologically connected to the river (Hein et al, 2016; ICPDR, 2016)
Summary
River-floodplain systems are among the most endangered ecosystems worldwide, with up to 90% of floodplains in Europe and North America strongly impaired by human activity (Tockner and Stanford, 2002). Large river-floodplain systems are hotspots of global biodiversity (Shiel et al, 1998; Tockner and Stanford, 2002), and multiple regulating, provisioning and cultural ecosystem services (Tockner and Stanford, 2002; Tomscha et al, 2017). Floodplains are a key element of the EU Green Infrastructure Strategy (Schindler et al, 2014), where green infrastructure is defined as ‘a network of natural and semi-natural areas that deliver a wide range of ecosystem services,’ i.e., systems with high multifunctionality including provision of habitats, flood regulation or clean water (Garmendia et al, 2016; Schindler et al, 2014). Natural ecosystems in general (Benayas et al, 2009; Bullock et al, 2011) and floodplains (Schindler et al, 2014, 2016) show a high multi-functionality related to biodiversity and ecosystem services and well-directed ecological restoration efforts have the potential to simultaneously increase both
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