Ecological Connectivity - Statement of Tasks
From BAWiki
With the recast of the Federal Water Act (WHG) of 1st March 2010, the German Federal Government has committed itself to maintaining or restoring the ecological connectivity at barrages on the federal waterways. The implementation of the legislation is required to fulfil the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), which requires a good ecological state in running waters. This objective requires, amongst others, that the numbers of fish migrating through the rivers, and their biodiversity, should correspond to those of a natural state.
At present, this ecological connectivity does not exist in many federal waterways. It is therefore necessary to provide functional fishways for upstream and downstream migration all over Germany. Together with the Federal Institute of Hydrology (Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde, BfG), the BAW will be involved in a consultancy function to ensure the adherence to and implementation of biological and structural requirements using state of the art technology.
In the BAW, this task is the responsibility of section W1. The task includes consultancy and support services for the WSV (Waterways and Shipping Administration) at all stages from preliminary planning to implementation, and the efficiency control required subsequently. The individual working steps are carried out, in each case, in agreement and cooperation with the BfG.
In many cases, the ecological passability of the barrages in federal waterways must be improved by the realization of new structures or by the upgrading of existing structures. According to current scientific knowledge, different structures are required for upstream and downstream fish migration, as there are significant differences in the behaviour of fish, depending on whether they are migrating upstream or downstream.
The BAW and BfG have jointly drawn up a document that is intended to assist the WSV, and also external planners that work for WSV, as a guideline. At present its emphasis is restricted to issues regarding the upstream migration of fish. In the guideline, apart from the depiction of the working procedure, the ecological and technological-hydraulic aspects and essential factors for the planning and construction of an upstream fish pass facility are presented and discussed. The actuality of the guideline is to be ensured by means of successive revision in the light of new developments and research results.
In order to fulfil its tasks regarding the topic of ecological passability on federal waterways, section W1 will pursue its own research and development projects, which should provide answers to a range of questions regarding structural and hydraulic issues for optimal planning. In addition, research contracts will be placed with the scientific community.
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