Dynamic diversity

Like a mosaic, near-natural rivers and streams consist of many different parts - water, unvegetated gravel banks, softwood or hardwood floodplain forests. Floods renew the habitat mosaic; e.g., a gravel bank is removed in one place and a new one is created elsewhere. This dynamic is characteristic of riparian areas and critical to maintaining biodiversity.

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