Project: VERBUND LIFE Projects (interconnecting and improving Nature 2000 habitats around existing hydropower plants)
Location: Austrian Danube
Cost: Undertake river restoration, de-sedimentation, and bypass river creation to improve ecological connectivity, habitat condition, and species populations in the Danube, linking existing Natura 2000 areas.
Challenges:
- Land availability:
- Some large landowners (e.g. federal state church), but also owners of very small river stretches;
- Landowners are less willing to sell land under current market conditions
- Clashing of different stakeholder goals;
- project location in designated habitat areas, e.g., Natura 2000 sites; and
- Time-consuming negotiations with land owners/neighbourhood and authorities.
Success factors:
- Consulting stakeholders and appeasing concerns with site specific nature-based solutions;
- In-house ecological and technical expertise and thorough design;
- Site-specific solutions; and
- Cooperation with stakeholders.
Images copyright: VERBUND