The Isar River: Social Pride as a Driver of River Restoration
Résumé
The transboundary Isar River is an alpine river that flows through the Bavarian Alps to join the Danube River in one of its last free-flowing sections. The Isar enables local human development and crosses the city of Munich that is the 12 th largest city in Europe. The Isar largely contributes to the successful growth of Munich and highly influences the cultural development of other cities built on or close to its floodplain. The alpine riverscape is highly appreciated by the local population and is a source of civic pride. The socio-ecological degradation of the Isar River started in the late 18 th century with the first morphological changes. However, it is the boom in hydro-electrical production after the First World War that caused the greatest river degradations. Because of the clear response from civil society, advocacy groups pushed for the restoration of the river. After many years of collaborative planning, intense discussion, pressure from civil society, changes in government institutions, and strong partnerships among non-government organizations, the river management trend changed from a traditional grey infrastructure-based to nature-based practices. The Isar-Plan, namely the Isar restoration project in Munich was very successful and became a worldwide symbol of hope, showing that socio-ecological restorations are possible even in metropolitan city centers. Ultimately, the Isar River is an example showing how civil society's perception of ecosystem losses can positively influence water governance.
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