1. Managing Alpine Streams for Resistance and Resilience Corina Del Fabbro, Andrea Koopmans, John Garcia, Daniel Angst 25 th May 20091Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems

2. Outline  Introduction  Input: Video Interview with CT Robinson (Eawag)  Impacts of Hydropower  Restoration / Manage- ment of Alpine Stream Systems  Conclusion 25 th May 20092Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems Grande Dixence, Canton Valais

3. Alpine Streams - Situation  Heavily influenced by human activity  ‘classical’: irrigation, drinking water, hydropower  ‘new’ : Water for artificial snow making  >90% of suitable waterways in Switzerland are used for Hydropower  More sensitive to Climate Change than other European Regions  faster degradation than other systems 25 th May 20093Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems

4. Large Dams (>15 m) in Switzerland - http://www.swissdams.ch/dams/damMap/default_d.asp 25 th May 20094Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems

5. Alpine Streams - Importance  Ecosystem Services  Provisioning  Fresh Water  Hydropower  Regulating  Flood Regulation  Erosion Regulation  Water Purification  Cultural  Recreational Value  Supporting Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005 25 th May 20095Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems http://image55.webshots.com/155/5/97/57/476359757UImnrR_ph.jpg

6. Video Interview Dr. CT Robinson, Eawag. Sorry for the bad Sound, please refer to the Transcript 25 th May 20096Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems

7. Ecological Impacts of Hydropower  Physical effects:  temperature  Flow regime  Biotic:  Biotic assemblages  Barrier  Landscape:  Change of structure 25 th May 20097Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems Contra, Canton Ticino

8. Socio-economic impacts of hydropower  Hydropower  Fishery  Local communities  Landscape  Tourism 25 th May 20098Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems Verzasca Dam, Canton Ticino Lake Reschen

9. Management for Resistance and Resilience – Socio-Economic Factors  Monitoring water supply and water quality for communities downstream.  Monitoring hydrological dynamics.  Prioritizing environmental objectives in policy and decision making processes.  Participatory and transdisciplinary approaches involving communities in decision making 25 th May 20099Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems

10. Management for Resistance and Resilience - Ecology  Flow regime  Restoring natural flood regime  Increases temporal and spatial variability of the System (‘patchiness’) ➡ possibly increases Biodiversity? -> Evidence of Hysteresis, but longer term data is missing.  Connectivity ?  Dams are a barrier for migration, and thus gene flow -> genetic erosion 25 th May 200910Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems

11. Conclusions  Dams have mostly positive socio-economic effects  Dams have negative effects on ecology and many ecosystem services  Integration of economical, sociological and ecological issues in the management to minimize negative effects 25 th May 200911Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems

12. References U Bundi (Ed.) (forthcoming) ALPINE WATERS, Series : The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Approx. 400 p., Springer, Berlin (Scheduled for Release January 2010) Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN WELL-BEING: WETLANDS AND WATER Synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC. CT Robinson and U Uehlinger, 2008. EXPERIMENTAL FLOODS CAUSE ECOSYSTEM REGIME SHIFT IN A REGULATED RIVER. Ecological Applications, 18 (2) pp. 511-526 CT Robinson, U Uehlinger and MT Monaghan, 2004. STREAM ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE TO MULIPLE EXPERIMENTAL FLOODS FROM A RESERVOIR. River Research and Applications, 20: 359-377 www.swissdams.ch Retrieved 22 nd May 2009 25 th May 200912Managing Alpine Stream Ecosystems