Restoration of oxbows and floodplains on the Morava River, Slovakia

General

National Id:

Slovakia_01

Site name:

Morava floodplain, Tatras forests, and Eastern Carpathians

Summary:

The annual cycle of flows in the Morava River, south of Bratislava, and its tributaries were modified in three sites leading to restoration of the wetland biotic complexes and movements between fragments of habitat isolated by land use. Thanks to Biodiversity Protection project, funded by the Global environmental Trust Fund and national funds, 4 oxbows and over 19km of floodplain were restored.

NUTS Code:

Bratislavský kraj

RBD code:

SK40000

Transboundary:

Data provider:

REC

Source(s):

Biodiversity GEF Project

NWRM(s) implemented in the case study:

Re-meandering

Longitude:

17.207

Latitude:

48.0575

Site information

Climate zone:

cool temperate moist

Mean rainfall:

600

Mean rainfall unit:

mm/year

Average temperature:

10,8000001907349

Average runoff coefficient:

0,25

Type:

Case Study Info

Light or indepth?:

Light

Vegetation class:

floodplain forests

Monitoring maintenance

Administrative annual cost information:

435000USD: Computerization, monitoring and Data management

Biophysical impacts

Information on retained water:

N/A info

Information on increased water storage:

Arable lands now are meadows where water stay for longer periods of time.

Water quality overall improvements:

N/A info

Information on Water quality overall improvements:

N/A info

Soil quality overall soil improvements:

N/A info

Information on Soil quality overall soil improvements:

N/A info

Lessons, risks, implications...

Key lessons:

Institutional stability is a key condition for project success; professional development is a vital step in building human capacity; explicit targets help managers identify the success, cost-effectiveness and basic usefulness of most components throughout implementation; involving NGOs during implementation were key to success.

Financing mechanism:

Financing mechanism information:

The project funded as well the professional development and training needed to secure the restored ecosystems.

Financing difficulties:

Financing difficulties information:

Project co-funding from Austrian EcoFund (363250e) never materialized and caused re-organization of Project components and budgets

Success factor(s):

Type	Role	Comments
Other	main factor	Insitutional stability
Other	secondary factor	Involving NGOs
Attitude of decision makers	secondary factor	Qualified and very committed professionals within the PMCU
Existing staff and consultant knowledge	secondary factor	Establishment of the Joint Scientific Advisory committes proved usefull for provideing guidance to the project activities and specially for increasing awareness of the project among the national and international scientific and academic community.

Financing:

Type	Comments
Other	Global Environmental Trust Fund
Other	MacArthur Foundation
National funds	Austrian EcoFund
National funds	Slovak Government

Barrier:

Type	Role	Comments
Other	main barrier	The project came in the first year of on-going changes in legislative, administrative and institutional arrangements in Slovakia
Other	secondary barrier	Ongoing re-privatization of land prevented forest restoration activities
Other	secondary barrier	Frequent changes in high positions in the Ministry of Environment officials in Nature conservation section
Other	secondary barrier	Some leakage of trainees occurs because of salary inequities.

Driver:

Type	Role	Comments
Organisation committed to it	main driver

Financing share:

Share type	Share	Comments
National funds	3
European funds	72,5500030517578

Socio-economic

Direct benefits information:

To protect ecological zones of substantial international importance, reduce loss of species, restore ecosystems and maintain a high level of diversity. Forested innovation by integration of various levels of biological diversity to address issues in conservation planning. The project will complement other activities such a Bank-financed forestry development loan and GEF-supported protection activities. Components of the project are also directed to integrating planning outside the strictly protected areas in consultation with affected communities and interests.

Ancillary benefits information:

Trough research and monitoring in these areas, knowledge will be gained as to how human activities have affected, and are affecting, different types of ecosystems and habitats, and how this actions can be changed to keep these areas and the societies that depend on them, healthy.

Costs total:

2326658

Costs total information:

2300000(GEF Project Grant)+870000(Co-financing Total)= 3170000 USD Restoration-Morava: 256000USD --> 187972 €

Information on Economic costs - income loss:

70000USD

Ecosystem improved biodiversity:

Information on Ecosystem improved biodiversity:

Restoration of riparian vegetation, fish and breeding birds

Information on Ecosystem provisioning services:

N/A info

Ecosystem impact climate regulation:

Not relevant for the specific application

Policy, general governance and design targets

Policy description:

Biodiversity degradation through pollution, overuse by visitors and complex impacts from adjacent land uses. The forests have been cut, water table reduced, and spring floods interrupted and the native meadows have been converted to cropland. The floodplain forests have been reduce. the water table has dropped and spring floods have been interrupted. Large areas of meadow were ploughed up and converted in to arable fields. the once continuous flood plain area has been transformed into a mosaic of remnant natural areas and areas of intensive management.

Part of wider plan:

Policy pressure:

Policy requirement directive:

Policy impact:

Policy wider plan:

Policy area:

Policy target:

Target purpose
Improved Biodiversity

Design & implementations

Application scale:

Field Scale

Installation date:

1998-06

Area subject to Land use change or Management/Practice change (ha):

250

Constraints:

Some stretches of natural river beds and fluvial processes remain especially in the Morava River and its tributary, the Rudava.

Favourable preconditions:

The area is theoretically protected at this time as national parks, nature reserves or landscape protected areas

Contractural arrangements:

Design contractual arrangement:

Arrangement type	Role	Responsibility	Name	Comments
Contractual agreement			GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT TRUST FUND GRANT AGREEMENT	between Slovak Republic (the Recipient) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Design consultation activity:

Activity stage	Name	Key issues	Comments
Design phase	Workshops		in the slovak Republic with management and research personnel and the Slovak ministry of environment Department of Nature and Landscape conservation. Designed to provide key interventios and develop institutional capacieities and the focus of activity will be on three areas.

Design land use change:

Land use change type
Permanently irrigated land

Design authority:

Authority type	Role	Name
National water authority	Initiation of the measure	Department of Nature and Lndscape Conservation; Ministry of Environment
National water authority		Czech Republic Authority
National water authority		Austrian Auhority
NGO		WWF

Last updated: 12 Jan 2015 | Top

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Restoration of oxbows and floodplains on the Morava River, Slovakia

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