Scientist

Faculty of Biology
Aquatic Ecology
Universitätsstrasse 5
D-45141 Essen
Germany

Room S05T03B02
Phone: +49.201.18.33313
Fax: +49.201.18.32179
andrea.r.schneider@uni-due.de

Effects of maintenance on the biodiversity of floodplain grasslands.

The restoration of rivers includes not only the treatment of the waterbody itself, but also its catchment area. This includes floodplains, such as dikes and nearby green spaces. They are closely connected to the river and can provide a diverse habitat for flora and fauna. The way these green spaces are maintained plays an important role in species diversity and yet is rarely considered in the management of freshwater related green spaces.

As part of project MERLIN (project-merlin.eu), the extensive maintenance forms of seeding and extensive mowing are being compared with standard intensive management on the Emscher dikes. The aim is to find out which form of maintenance best promotes biodiversity and at the same time ensures flood protection.

The EU project MERLIN involves 45 partners including University Duisburg-Essen as coordinator. The Emscher is one of 17 case studies from across Europe in which social, economic, and environmental success factors will be examined to draw a concept for implementing nature-based solutions in freshwater systems.