7th Water Conference

Water in the Alps – Management of hydrological extremes and sustainable hydropower use

The 7th Water Conference is organized by the Water Platform of the Alpine Convention in dialogue with 
EUSALP AG 6 Subgroup Water

Official Greetings of the Authorities

Markus Reiterer (Secretary General of the Alpine Convention)
Stefan Wildt (Regional Government of Tyrol)
Paolo Angelini & Luka Štravs (Co-chairs of the Water Platform of the Alpine Convention)

Module 2: The impacts of and response to droughts in the Alpine region (Part I)

Chair: Hannah Berger (Bavarian Environment Agency), German delegation to the Water Platform

Andreas Kolbinger (Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection, Germany): Current developments and challenges in drought management in Northern Bavaria

Johannes Wiesenegger (Regional Government of Salzburg, Austria): Strategic water resources management and drought

Gaia Checcucci (General Director of the Water and Land Protection Direction, Italian Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea)

Debate / interactive section

Coffee break

Module 2: The impacts of and response to droughts in the Alpine region (Part II)

Chair: Christian Schilling (BMNT, Austria), Austrian delegation to the Water Platform

Andreja Sušnik (ARSO, Slovenia): New tools for better drought risk management

Gunther Heißel (Regional Government of Tyrol, Austria): Security of drinking water in light of climate change

Andrea Bianchini (IMELS Consultant, Italy; Platform Water Management in the Alps): Facing droughts in the Alpine region – Experiences, approaches and common challenges

Debate / interactive section

Lunch

Module 3: Green infrastructures for an integrated and sustainable water management

Chair: Luka Štravs, Slovenian delegation to the Water Platform

Elisabeth Sötz (WWF, for EUSALP AG 6): Greener Alpine Rivers? Conclusions and Recommendations of the EUSALAP AG 6 – Subgroup Water

Joze Papež (Hidrotehnik, Slovenia), Mateja Ribnikar (MOP, Slovenia), Maja Jelen (MOP, Slovenia): 50 Shades of Green Infrastructure- Experiences from Slovenia

Manuela Künzl (Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection, Germany): Alpine green infrastructure – joining forces for nature, people and the economy

Debate / interactive section

Coffee break

Module 3: Common guidelines for the use of small hydropower in the Alpine region

Chair: Gaia Checcucci, General Director of the Water and Land Protection Direction, Italian Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea

Pietro Colonna (Italian Delegation to the Alpine Convention) : Presentation of the elaboration and content of common guidelines

Christian Schilling (BMNT, Austria): Application of the Common Guidelines for the use of Small Hydropower in the Alpine region

Debate / interactive section

Workshops Module 1

Workshop 1.4 – Alpine springs under pressure

Chair: Stefanie von Fumetti (University Basel)

Alpine springs provide ecosystem services such as being a supply of drinking-water. Ecologically, they are important aquatic habitats under pressure. They suffer e.g. from cattle trampling, capturing or relocation. Land use changes and climatic changes threaten springs additionally. Headwaters in alpine regions will be affected strongly by climatic changes such as increased water temperatures or altered discharge regimes. In this workshop we will discuss conflicts of interests and threats for natural springs and how we can monitor them effectively. The development of conservation strategies should be a focus of future efforts in order to sustain important ecosystem services of springs in the Alps.

Inputs
Stefanie von Fumetti & Daniel Küry: Alpine springs under pressure will Global Change increase present conflicts of interest?
Gabi Leonhardt: Long-term monitoring of alpine springs to determine climate change impact
Reinhard Gerecke & Marco Cantonati: Collecting biota in spring habitats: A proposal for a sustainable methodology in long-term monitoring studies
Daniel Küry: Ecological evaluation, conservation and restoration of spring habitats in the Swiss Alps

Workshop 1.5 – Monitoring and managing European Union species and habitats of alpine rivers

Chair: Norbert Müller (Uni Erfurt) & Helmut Kudrnovsky (Kematen)

The EU Habitat Directive is requiring the monitoring and managing of their Annex species and habitats. In this session, we will discuss this subject area for alpine rivers. Special focus will be on key species and their habitat types 3220, 3230, 3240 “Alpine rivers“and 7240* and 91E0. Within the last EU Habitats Directive Article 17 Reporting the conservation status of these habitats was assessed with unfavourable inadequate to bad. Therefore, besides methods of monitoring also examples of managing and reintroduction of key species will be part of this workshop. This workshop is also part of the “16th International Alpine Workshop” an annual meeting of scientists, practitioners and advanced students working in alpine rivers (see www.fh-erfurt.de/la/tagliamento).

Inputs
Helmut Kudrnovsky: 3230 “Alpine rivers with Myricaria germanica” – actual findings along river Lech
Bruno Michielon & Tommaso Sitzia: Reintroduction of Myricaria germanica in Italy – an overview
Norbert Müller: 30 years monitoring and managing Typha minima at the Tyrolean Lech river – a key species of the habitat 7240* “Alpine pioneer formations”
Michael Reich: Monitoring Bryodemella tuberculata – a key species of the habitats 3220, 3230 and 3240 “Alpine rivers”
Anna Schöpfer & Leopold Füreder: Standardized selections of FFH-species and habitats for protection measures

Discussion

Poster session & Apéro

16:30 – 17:00: Current programmes and networks (Plenary)
Chair: Thomas Scheurer (ISCAR)

Bernat Claramunt (Barcelona): NEMOR, or Do we need (another) European network for mountains?
Primož Skrt  (Munich): Alpine Space Programme: Outlook on the next programme period
NN: Network of River Contracts
Georg Niedrist: Forum Water
Aureliano Piva (PSAC Innsbruck): Announcement of the Young Academics Awards

17:00 – 19:00: Poster Exhibition with Apéro

Conference dinner

Welcome addresses: Roland Psenner (ÖAW)
Invitation of local politics (tbc)
Music: Landesmusikschule Reutte
Water tasting: Roland Psenner