Title

Austria: Restoration of Mur River - ecological values and hydropower generation aligned
Country
Austria
Summary

The Upper Mur River is considered one of the most ecologically valuable rivers of Austria. Its systematic regulation began at the end of the 19th century to intensify agricultural land use. Restoration measures started in 1997 and various projects facilitated the renaturation of the river. The project highlights the importance to reconcile key needs for nature conservation with demands for renewable energy generation from small hydro power plants.
Related IWRM Tools
Keywords
Energy Supply Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Danube River Basin
Lessons Learned

This project is a good example to demonstrate the new "river policy" in Austria that adopts "river restoration" approaches, rather than "river engineering" techniques.

Such methodologies and policy principles fit well with European Water Framework Directive and the beneficiary and participates applying similar holistic methods during future river management works.

An important policy issue that was highlighted by the project is the need to reconcile key needs for nature conservation with demands for renewable energy generation from small hydro power plants.
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