Funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
Duration: July 2018 to June 2021

The German R&D project ‘Development of a practical method to assess the biological status of riparian zones and floodplains’, is processed in collaboration with Aueninstitut Neuburg (Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt), the Helmholtz Centre for environmental research – UFZ (Leipzig), the ÖKON society of landscape ecology, aquatic biology and environmental planning mbH, and the Institute for Biodiversity Management. The aim of the project is the development of a standardized, practical and a nationwide applicable method to assess the biological floodplain status.

The project includes the theoretical deduction of species indicating the near-natural status of nationwide described floodplain types for the organism groups amphibians, aquatic and terres-trial molluscs, birds, floodplain vegetation, and ground beetles. These indicator species built the basis for the biological assessment. We develop a modular assessment system which allows pro-spective users to assess the biological floodplain status with regard to different objectives of natural and cultural ecosystems. Biologically relevant characteristics of floodplain types and in-dicator species lists will be summarized in fact sheets. We will proof the applicability of the as-sessment procedure for three floodplain types using existing data. Finally, the prospective user will get methodical recommendations for the procedure of biological assessment, nationwide applicable indicator lists and formulas to calculate the biological status.
The main features of the project are based on the already completed study „Machbarkeitsstudie zur biozönotischen Auenzustandsbewertung“ (BfN-Skripten 484).