A serene river winds through a gravel bed, surrounded by lush greenery and mountains in the distance. Sunlight glimmers on the water's surface, with branches framing the top of the image.

LIFE
WeNatureEnns

The Enns Blue-Green Corridor Project

Today, the Enns is a channelized river, more than 95 % of whose banks are fortified with riprap. Other hydromorphological deficits include the lack of gravel banks and shallow water areas as well as fine sediment banks. Nevertheless, the Styrian Enns catchment area harbours numerous habitats for endangered and rare animal and plant species.

Large parts of the Enns Valley have therefore been designated as European NATURA 2000 sites. The overall aim of the project LIFE WeNatureEnns is to restore an approximately 20 km long section of the river with its riparian corridor and ecosystem functions in order to improve the conditions for protected habitats and species.

Project Description

LIFE WeNatureEnns aims to create ca. 20 km of a near-natural river floodplain system along the Enns River in Styria (Austria) between the mouth of the Sölk river and Stainach. Measures will target species and habitats in the Natura 2000 sites “Ennstal zwischen Liezen und Niederstuttern”, “Ennsaltarme bei Niederstuttern”, and “Gersdorfer Altarm.

The project addresses various problems in the area, such as river channelization, intensive agricultural use in the immediate vicinity of the river and the lowering of the groundwater level. Therefore, large-scale and holistic nature-based solutions will be implemented.

Image: Widening of the Enns at Schladming

A river meanders through a rural setting, with a small island in its midst. People stroll along the gravel bed, surrounded by lush trees and traditional houses in the background.

The following measures will be implemented:

provide ca. 35 ha of new riparian areas available for natural development and protected by law
remove bank protections to initiate river widening
provide typical floodplain habitats with amphibian ponds, meadows, hedges, riparian forest and reptile habitats in areas close to the river
establish and enhance connectivity to tributaries
restore river mouths of tributaries
introduce dead wood, large woody debris, and engineered lock jams to increase habitat diversity
implement an ecological orientated sediment management
hold information events to encourage local farmers to adopt ecological vegetation management.

Image: Widening of the Salzach estuary