The red spring celebrates comeback: Emscher wakes up after 100 years!

The red spring celebrates comeback: Emscher wakes up after 100 years!

A remarkable step back in the wildlife of North Rhine-Westphalia causes a sensation: the red feather, a typical swarm fish, has found its way into the country's waters after more than 100 years. This return is done in a river that was once considered an insurmountable barrier for fish - the Emscher. In earlier times, the Emscher was anything but inviting; It was more of a sewer than a healthy river. But thanks to extensive renaturation measures, the river now shows that it has the potential to be alive. As reported Ruhr24, the red feather was recently spotted in the Emscher, and experts see this as a signal for the recovery of the river.

The Emschergenossenschaft has successfully worked in recent years to redesign the Emscher in nature. The result is that no wastewater flows into the Emscher and instead clean, natural sections were created. The renaturation had started more than 30 years ago, and since the end of 2021 the conditions for the local fauna and flora have been significantly better. The Emscher now resembles a former "Köttelbecke", which offers the fish a real freedom of travel, as [wdr] (https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/ruhr area/wieder-rotfedern-in-der-emscher-100.html). In the meantime there are over 30 types of fish in this revitalized water.

a successful change

The Emscher was a biologically dead channel for decades and was an insurmountable barrier for fish, especially due to the five -meter -high concrete crash at its mouth into the Rhine. But this barrier was a thing of the past, and the red feather has now settled and increased over the mouth of the Rhine in the Emscher. The possibilities of how the fish could have got there are diverse: possibly about natural secondary runs, parks or ponds. But despite the positive developments, Dr. Frank Obos, that unauthorized fish can disturb the domestic ecosystems.

The return of the red spring is not only a sign of reviving the river, but also an indication that renatured waters are able to regain entire ecosystems. Intact rivers make a decisive contribution to the quality of life in urban rooms by improving air quality, reducing risks from flooding and, last but not least, serve as recreation areas. Studies by the Federal Environment Agency show that nature conservation measures can extensively restore the functionality of rivers through various environmentally friendly practices and this is very advantageous for the local population.

a step in the right direction

The Emscher stands for the success of the renaturation, which not only improves biodiversity, but also brings back urgently needed services for the environment. Rivers and streams are key resources for water management, cooling in industry and irrigation in agriculture. At the same time, they act as habitats for a wide variety of animal and plant species. The positive development in the Emscher clearly shows that the path of renaturation is the right one - not only for the fish species, but also for the habitats and the people who benefit from the local waters.

The return of the red spring is not only a successful piece of nature, but also a sign of a new awareness in environmental and nature conservation policy. The Emscher and their residents are now on the threshold of a new era.