Grazing project at the Isar floodplains on areas disturbed by river engineering

The Isar floodplains have changed since the beginning of the 20th century. Especially the construction of the Walchensee power plant at the beginning of the 1920s, the simultaneous longitudinal shoring of the river banks as well as the construction of the Sylvenstein reservoir at the end of the 1950s had a negative impact on the development of the habitats, which are characterized by dynamics, flooding and bedload transport. Due to considerable deepening and lack of bed load, the system of rearrangement, succession and erosion, especially below the reservoir, is severely restricted and the typical characteristics of the floodplain are negatively altered. Since the possibilities to remove the structures and to allow more dynamics and bed load are limited by flood protection requirements, there is a need for action for the (long-term) preservation of floodplain-typical communities and species. With the help of grazing, the Isartalverein wants to preserve and, where necessary, restore the species richness especially on lean and dry sites as well as in young stages of the snow heath pine forests. As part of the project, up to 57 hectares will be included in the grazing project by 2020. The measure is part of the project Alpenfluss Landschaften.