Blue and green - and closely connected

Rivers and streams are more than just water; they also include the adjacent land. In near-natural rivers and streams, the transition between water and land is continuous, meaning there is a tight, blue-green coupling. Many creatures move between the two worlds, such as numerous insects. They spend their juvenile stages as larvae under water at the river bottom. Later, they develop wings and colonize the land. As adults, they lay their eggs in the water and the cycle begins again. The protection of insects is centrally important for humans, as they perform important tasks; e.g., in the pollination of crops or as predators of potential pests in agriculture.

A contribution to rivers from the research program "Hydraulic Engineering and Ecology" of Eawag, WSL, PL-LCH EPFL, VAW ETH Zurich and the Federal Office for the Environment.

Web: www.rivermanagement.ch
Production: Studio Flavio Vogel