Michael Schödl from the Bavarian State Association for Bird Protection presents the habitats of endangered animals and plants on the Upper Isar.
Hinterriß -
The upper reaches of the Isar and the Rißbach are among the last alpine wild rivers.
A number of threatened species still find ideal habitats in and adjacent to the dry areas of their riverbed.
Michael Schödl from the Bavarian State Association for Bird Protection recently presented the significance of this special milieu and some of the animal and plant inhabitants that occur in it in the nature park house in Hinterriß.
These include the little ringed plover.
"He needs completely bare gravel banks for breeding, in order to have all-round visibility and to be aware of enemies early," Schödl explained.
When such a hostile creature approaches - which also includes landing boat drivers or wild campers - the little ringed plover likes to play “dead or injured bird” in order to distract attention from itself and from the nest.
In general, this migratory bird species is adaptable and can therefore sometimes be found in gravel pits.
"But if such a gravel pit is then closed and overgrown, the living conditions there are no longer given." Ten couples are currently still located on the Isar between Scharnitz and Sylvensteinspeicher.
Another species of bird in this area is the common sandpiper.
Unlike the little ringed plover, the common sandpiper breeds in the vegetation.
Of the mostly four eggs, on average two of the hatched young birds survive.
Also native here is the spotted snarling insect - a species of grasshopper with slightly pink wings and yellow hind legs.
Their eggs, which are about two centimeters deep in sandy soil, can withstand ten centimeters of covering, Schödl said.
The gravel bank grasshopper, on the other hand, prefers sparsely overgrown gravel areas with buried dead wood, but also lives in higher open areas on the bank.
In the botanical field, the German tamarisk is a rarity: due to its idiosyncratic desire for sandy gravel surfaces, which are regularly re-created by relocating, it is rarely found in this country on hallech, ammer and the upper Isar.
In competition with the fast-growing and light-robbing willow, the tamarisk is usually inferior.
The natural habitats on the Isar and Rißbach are "the largest dry habitats we still have", summed up Schödl, who works as an area manager for this region and for the Karwendel.
In general, the courses of the rivers and their bank areas are repeatedly exposed to changes and shifts due to flood events.
And in addition to the growing pressure to spend free time, human interventions such as the water drainage created for the operation of the Walchensee power plant in Krün and at the Oswaldhütte have noticeable consequences.
"Sustainable energy generation is important, but you have to look for ways that also allow space for biodiversity," says Schödl.
In a special Interreg project, the State Association for Bird Protection, the Tölzer District Office, the Tiroler Lech Nature Park and the Karwendel Nature Park are coordinating and working across borders to create good conditions for a harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
The measures include maintenance concepts for keeping the areas open, uniform visitor management concepts, online and social media appearances, joint events, raising awareness among water sports associations, setting up standardized signage and the increase and qualification of rangers that has already begun.
(Rosi Bauer)