Leipzig: Revitalization of an urban floodplain forest The city of Leipzig is situated between the floodplains of the rivers White Elster, Pleiße and Parthe, which form a green belt classified as a significant Central European floodplain ecosystem resulting from widespread floodplain forests. Interventions such as river regulation measures, extensive diking and the drainage of agricultural and pasture fields have had significant impacts on the floodplain. Furthermore, the creation of the river section Neue Luppe (New Luppe) to serve flood protection in the 1930s also resulted in several impacts. Former river sections were cut off and could not provide the floodplain forest with water anymore. As a result, the formerly water-rich floodplain landscape now suffers from massive drop of the groundwater table and is drying out. Today the area consists of many dry river beds without connectivity and a decrease of dynamic floodplain ponds and oxbow lakes. This is a threat among others also to the biodiversity of the floodplain forest and related ecosystem services. At the same time, the floodplain of Leipzig has an important function as recreational area and significantly contributes to quality of life of the city residents. The restoration project “Lebendige Luppe” (Living Luppe) is one of the largest projects on floodplain and river restoration in Central Germany and it started in 2012. The objective is the revitalization of more than 16 km of a former river course in the floodplain ecosystems. Dried-up river arms of the former water-rich floodplain, especially of the river Luppe, are to be filled and reconnected again with water and create a continuous water landscape. The aim is for significant floods to reach large areas of the floodplain via the new river course. It is planned to achieve inundation of at least 30% of the floodplain area via the new river. The groundwater table should be stabilised and raised by about 1 meter in most parts of the project area. The project is considered part of a mosaic of different measures needed to achieve more extended revitalisation of the floodplain in the future and is planned as a no-regret measure. Major flood events in January 2011 and in June 2013 inundated most of the project area and showed that, as a result of the project Lebendige Luppe, the floodplain is fulfilling its function of protecting the city against inundation. The idea for the restoration of the River Luppe and the revitalisation of the floodplain was based on preparatory work of the Green Ring Leipzig, an initiative of Leipzig and the neighbouring municipalities for a number of projects to enhance the environmental character of the city. Lebendige Luppe – Heuwegluppe at inundated state. Photo: @Maria Vitzthum |
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