River And Environmental Processes In The Wetland Restoration Of The Morava River

Abstract

fiver engineering works and other man-induced changes may adversely affect natural character of the river system. In many cases they have caused major morphological and ecological instability problems which can seriously impair the conservation and amenity value of the riverine environment. The results of two projects focused at the restoration of the Morava wetland ecosystem are presented in this paper. Impact of the river regulation is analysed on the basis of defined river processes and ecology evaluation. Monitoring of biotic and abiotic changes provided background information for evaluation of efficiency of the former meander's restoration. As implemented restoration measures were not so effective as it was expected some alternatives of improvements are discussed with regard to the results of field observations, numerical and physical modeling. An optimal solution to protect the oxbow system against successive degradation and restore some extinct river functions is presented.