In April, 35 experts from public administration, science and practice came together in Lienz to work on the future of Austrian river landscapes at the networking meeting of the Floodplain Strategy working group. The shared goal: to give our rivers and floodplains more space again and promote healthy river landscapes.

Floodplain Strategy Austria: More water for healthy floodplains

In many river landscapes, floodplains and rivers are barely connected anymore. How can more water be brought into the floodplains – and what are the barriers? These were exactly the kinds of questions discussed at the networking meeting in Lienz.

Land availability and funding remain central challenges. But there are concrete solutions: the river development corridor as a tool for securing land was very well received by all participants. In the future, it could play an important role when it comes to giving rivers and floodplains more space again.

Inspiring insights

Strategies and concrete projects for improving floodplains were presented from all federal states. In addition, various presentations shed light on the topic of river restoration from a wide range of perspectives:

Klaus Michor, founder of Revital and pioneer of river restoration in Austria, shared hands-on insights into the technical implementation of restoration projects.

Susanne Muhar, former professor at BOKU Vienna and co-editor of a book about the Isel, captivated the audience with an emotional talk about the deep connection between people and rivers.

Johann Nesweda, leader of the IRIS pilot measure on the Pielach, showed how through targeted measures the river gradually transforms into a vibrant mountain stream that continues as a meandering Alpine river in its lower reaches.

Following the Flow of Water

The second part of the meeting took participants directly to the water: from the largely unspoiled Isel River to the expansive restoration areas of the Upper Drau River, participants could experience first-hand what makes these two river landscapes so special.

Two talks right at the river made the impressions even more tangible.

Walter Hopfgartner, who was responsible for hydraulic engineering in the Lienz district for many years, gave an impressive talk about the shift from hard river engineering to modern river basin management.

Klaus Krainer from Arge Naturschutz and the Naturschutzbund Kärnten illustrated the enormous importance of river widenings for regional species and habitat protection, using the Drau as an example.

Time and again during the excursion, it became clear that nature reclaims its space when given the chance. A particularly beautiful example is the German tamarisk: the rare pioneer plant is considered an indicator of intact wild river habitats and accompanied the group every step of the way.

Conclusion: Flood Protection and Nature Conservation Hand in Hand

The meeting in Lienz has once again shown: when we give rivers more space, we are not only protecting nature, but also the people who live along the rivers. Flood protection and nature conservation go hand in hand.

© Photo Credit: