Legal dispute over canoe trips: nature conservation vs. boat rental companies on the Wiesent!

Legal dispute over canoe trips: nature conservation vs. boat rental companies on the Wiesent!

There is no end to the canoe traffic on the picturesque Wiesent in Franconian Switzerland. A legal dispute between the Federal Nature Conservation Union (BN) and commercial canoe rental companies is occupying the courts and minds. The controversial shipping permit from the Forchheim district office has been in force since 2023 and is valid until September 30, 2026. While the permit allows canoes to be rented under certain conditions, the BN wants to put a stop to the permit. The reason? Preservation of bird populations and underwater vegetation endangered by boat traffic. [NP Coburg](https://www.np-coburg.de/content. Klages-am-verwaltungsgericht-rechtsstreit-um-bootsverkehr-auf-der-wiesent-gehen-weiter.b2834f36-21c5-4f95-ac38-36b170882a57.html) reports that the oral hearing is scheduled for the end of July 2025.

Under the permit, boat traffic is permitted between May and September, with only small boats such as canoes, kayaks and Canadians up to four seats and six meters in length allowed. Conservationists are sounding the alarm: boat traffic could disrupt the breeding season of the kingfisher, which is worthy of protection and takes place in May. In addition, special sections of the river are closed, which is intended to take into account the effort to preserve nature. However, the requirements imposed by the government of Upper Franconia are only one answer to pressing nature conservation issues.

A look at the lawsuits

The BN lawsuit, which was dismissed in 2022, is not the only advance in this conflict. The BN is calling for the shipping permit to be revoked, while the canoe rental companies want to make the permit permanent and overturn the upper limit of the maximum permitted boat trips. A new report on fish fauna shows that there is definitely a need for more protective requirements, which could force district administrators and lenders to take action. Bund Naturschutz points out that a lawsuit was filed in 2019, which led to an EU impact assessment, which was, however, dismissed as incomplete.

Dr. Ulrich Buchholz, chairman of the BN Forchheim district group, expressed disappointment with the Bayreuth court's ruling. The documented negative effects of canoeing have not been sufficiently considered. A proposal for a canoe license to raise awareness of nature conservation rules is also being discussed. The discussion about the pressure on nature and leisure activities is not only limited to the Wiesent; other Bavarian rivers such as the Isar are also affected.

Environmental protection in focus

The challenges for preserving the Wiesent became clear again, especially in 2021, when the ecosystem suffered greatly from recreational pressure and low water levels. The measures from the 2021 shipping license were not implemented. The inclusion of reports necessary for the next approvals therefore remains a central issue for the authorities. The aim of the BN remains not only to promote canoeing, but also to find a nature-friendly approach that ensures the protection of endangered species such as the kingfisher and grayling. Iwu underlines the difficulty of creating a balance between leisure enjoyment and nature conservation.

It remains to be seen how the legal disputes will continue and whether an agreement will be reached that meets both the requirements of nature conservation and the interests of canoe rental companies. Nature and its protection are at stake, and the canoe dispute on the Wiesent will continue to cause discussions in the future.