Auwald 1

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This alluvial forest in Leipzig is one of the largest preserved alluvial forests in Central Europe. It has an extensive but heavily disturbed network of watercourses. The Elster floodplains created (before 1930) one of the most extensive floodplain systems in Europe. The destruction of river courses, the elimination of periodic flooding, increased forestry, settlement pressure, coal mining and agricultural use caused a significant change in the ecology of the alluvial forest. It continues to dry out. All small-scale aid measures to preserve the alluvial forest are ineffective. The clearly noticeable climatic changes are making the revitalization, which has now been delayed for decades, even more difficult.

The magazine was produced on the occasion of the 5th International Leipzig Floodplain Ecology Symposium.