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
Plenarsaal
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
Plenary hall
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
Plenary hall
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
Plenary hall
Conference dinner
Welcome addresses: Roland Psenner (ÖAW)
Invitation of local politics (tbc)
Music: Landesmusikschule Reutte
Water tasting: Roland Psenner
Plenary hall