6sterreichische Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft / Regionale Aspekte des Feststoffmanagements als Grundlage f\ufcr den naturnahen Wasserbau im M\ufchlviertel und im Bayerischen Wald

Der naturnahe Wasserbau besitzt aufgrund seiner Begrifflichkeit bereits den Anspruch, nat\ufcrliche und naturnahe Rahmenbedingungen und Prozesse in Planungen von wasserbaulichen Ma fnahmen wie Hochwasserschutz oder Ufersicherungen miteinzubeziehen. Hier spielt in einer mittel- bis l\ue4ngerfristigen Betrachtung der Feststoffhaushalt eines Flie fgew\ue4ssers eine entscheidende Rolle. In Bezug auf nat\ufcrliche oder anthropogene Ver\ue4nderungen k\uf6nnen Defizit und cberschuss zu entscheidenden und nachhaltigen Ver\ue4nderungen der Lebensraumqualit\ue4t f\ufchren. Vor allem in der Region der B\uf6hmischen Masse ist ein cberschuss von Grobsand- und Feinkiesfraktionen (Korndurchmesser 1 bis 10 mm) verantwortlich f\ufcr regionale Probleme sowohl in Bezug auf den Hochwasserschutz als auch f\ufcr die Gew\ue4sser\uf6kologie, wie z. B. hinsichtlich des Erhalts von Kieslaichpl\ue4tzen und Flussperlmuschelpopulationen. Im Forschungsprojekt \u201eFeststoffmanagement im M\ufchlviertel und im Bayerischen Wald\u201c konnte in umfangreichen Untersuchungen neben dem Ist-Zustand in acht ausgew\ue4hlten Einzugsgebieten auch ein vertieftes Prozessverst\ue4ndnis hinsichtlich Ursachen und Wirkungszusammenh\ue4ngen der kontinuierlichen Versandung gewonnen werden. Neben land- und forstwirtschaftlichen Aspekten wie der offenen Drainagierung von Wiesengr\ue4ben oder dem Einfluss von Fichtenmonokulturen, konnten vor allem Aspekte der globalen Erw\ue4rmung (Zunahme der Starkniederschl\ue4ge) oder des Sedimenttransportverhaltens f\ufcr die zunehmende Degradierung des aquatischen Lebensraums bzw. die immer wiederkehrenden schutzwassertechnischen Anforderungen von Gew\ue4sserr\ue4umungen als Hauptursachen ausgemacht werden. Die aus dem hier vorgestellten Projekt gewonnenen Erkenntnisse bilden die Grundlage f\ufcr zuk\ufcnftige Ma fnahmen des naturnahen Wasserbaus zur nachhaltigen Sanierung der Flie fgew\ue4sser der B\uf6hmischen Masse.The aim of near-natural river engineering is to consider natural and near-natural framework conditions and processes in the planning of river engineering projects like flood protection or bank stabilization measures \u2013 a context in which the mid to long-term monitoring of sediment and sediment dynamics plays a central part. With regard to natural and anthropogenic changes, deficits and surpluses of sediments can result in massive and sustainable changes in habitat quality of rivers. Especially in the region of the Bohemian Massif, a surplus of coarse sand and fine gravel (grain size 1 to 10 mm) is the cause of regional problems, both in terms of flood protection and freshwater ecology. Basic and applied research conducted in the project \u201cSediment management in the M\ufchlviertel and the Bavarian Forest\u201d documented not only the status quo of eight selected catchment areas, but also yielded valuable insights into the causes and interrelations responsible for river bed degradation due to coarse sand inputs. In addition to agricultural and forest management aspects like the open drainage of meadow ditches or the influence of spruce monocultures, the impacts of global warming (increased frequency of heavy rains) and sediment transport dynamics were identified as the major causes of the increasing degradation of aquatic habitats and the need for an integrative sediment management in the investigated rivers. The results presented in this paper deliver important information for future near-natural river engineering measures in order to restore rivers in the region of the Bohemian Massif

Captive breeding of European freshwater mussels as aconservation tool: A review

1. Freshwater mussels are declining throughout their range. Their importantecological functions along with insufficient levels of natural recruitment haveprompted captive breeding for population augmentation and questions about the usefulness and applicability of such measures. 2. This article reviews the current state of captive breeding and rearing programmes for freshwater mussels in Europe. It considers the various species, strategies, andtechniques of propagation, as well as the different levels of effort requiredaccording to rearing method, highlighting the key factors of success. 3. Within the last 30 years, 46 breeding activities in 16 European countries have been reported, mainly of Margaritifera margaritifera and Unio crassus. Some facilities propagate species that are in a very critical situation, such as Pseudunio auricularius, Unio mancus, and Unio ravoisieri, or multiple species concurrently. Insome streams, the number of released captive-bred mussels already exceeds the size of the remaining natural population. 4. Rearing efforts range from highly intensive laboratory incubation to lowerintensity methods using in-river mussel cages or silos. Most breeding efforts are funded by national and EU LIFE(+) grants, are well documented, and consider the genetic integrity of the propagated mussels. Limited long-term funding perspectives, the availability of experienced staff, water quality, and feeding/survival during early life stages are seen as the most important challenges. 5. Successful captive breeding programmes need to be combined with restoration ofthe habitats into which the mussels are released. This work will benefit from anevidence-based approach, knowledge exchange among facilities, and an overall breeding strategy comprising multiple countries and conservation units. aquaculture, captive breeding, conservation translocation, freshwater mussel culturing, Margaritifera margaritifera, propagation, reintroduction, Unio crassusCaptive breeding of European freshwater mussels as aconservation tool: A reviewpublishedVersio

Research priorities for freshwater mussel conservation assessment

Freshwater mussels are declining globally, and effective conservation requires prioritizing research and actions to identify and mitigate threats impacting mussel species. Conservation priorities vary widely, ranging from preventing imminent extinction to maintaining abundant populations. Here, we develop a portfolio of priority research topics for freshwater mussel conservation assessment. To address these topics, we group research priorities into two categories: intrinsic or extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors are indicators of organismal or population status, while extrinsic factors encompass environmental variables and threats. An understanding of intrinsic factors is useful in monitoring, and of extrinsic factors are important to understand ongoing and potential impacts on conservation status. This dual approach can guide conservation status assessments prior to the establishment of priority species and implementation of conservation management actions.NF-R was supported by a post-doctoral fellowship (Xunta de Galicia Plan I2C 2017-2020, 09.40.561B.444.0) from the government of the autonomous community of Galicia. BY was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (no. 0409-2016-0022). DLS was supported by the G. E. Hutchinson Chair at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. AO was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (no. 17-44-290016). SV was funded by European Investment Funds by FEDER/COMPETE/POCI- Operacional Competitiveness and Internacionalization Programme, under Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006958 and National Funds by FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UID/AGR/04033/2013. NF-R is very grateful to the University of Oklahoma Biological Survey for providing space to work in the U.S. and especially to Vaughn Lab members. Authors are very grateful to Akimasa Hattori, Allan K. Smith, Andrew Roberts, Daniel Graf, David Stagliano, David T. Zanatta, Dirk Van Damme, Ekaterina Konopleva, Emilie Blevins, Ethan Nedeau, Frankie Thielen, Gregory Cope, Heinrich Vicentini, Hugh Jones, Htilya Sereflisan, Ilya Vikhrev, John Pfeiffer, Karen Mock, Mary Seddon, Katharina Stockl, Katarzyna Zajac, Kengo Ito, Marie Capoulade, Marko Kangas, Michael Lange, Mike Davis, Pirkko-Liisa Luhta, Sarina Jepsen, Somsak Panha, Stephen McMurray, G. Thomas Watters, Wendell R. Haag, and Yoko Inui for their valuable contribution in the initial selection and description of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. We also wish to thank Dr. Amanda Bates, Chase Smith, and two anonymous reviewers for comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government

A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

Europe has a long history of human pressure on freshwater ecosystems. As pressure continues to grow and new threats emerge, there is an urgent need for conservation of freshwater biodiversity and its ecosystem services. However, whilst some taxonomic groups, mainly vertebrates, have received a disproportionate amount of attention and funds, other groups remain largely off the public and scientific radar. Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) are an alarming example of this conservation bias and here we point out six conceptual areas that need immediate and long-term attention: knowledge, threats, socioeconomics, conservation, governance and education. The proposed roadmap aims to advance research, policy and education by identifying the most pressing priorities for the short- and long-term conservation of freshwater mussels across Europe

A global synthesis of ecosystem services provided and disrupted by freshwater bivalve molluscs

Identification of ecosystem services, i.e. the contributions that ecosystems make to human well-being, has proven instrumental in galvanising public and political support for safeguarding biodiversity and its benefits to people. Here we synthesise the global evidence on ecosystem services provided and disrupted by freshwater bivalves, a heterogenous group of >1200 species, including some of the most threatened (in Unionida) and invasive (e.g. Dreissena polymorpha) taxa globally. Our systematic literature review resulted in a data set of 904 records from 69 countries relating to 24 classes of provisioning (N = 189), cultural (N = 491) and regulating (N = 224) services following the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). Prominent ecosystem services included (i) the provisioning of food, materials and medicinal products, (ii) knowledge acquisition (e.g. on water quality, past environments and historical societies), ornamental and other cultural contributions, and (iii) the filtration, sequestration, storage and/or transformation of biological and physico-chemical water properties. About 9% of records provided evidence for the disruption rather than provision of ecosystem services. Synergies and trade-offs of ecosystem services were observed. For instance, water filtration by freshwater bivalves can be beneficial for the cultural service ‘biomonitoring’, while negatively or positively affecting food consumption or human recreation. Our evidence base spanned a total of 91 genera and 191 species, dominated by Unionida (55% of records, 76% of species), Veneroida (21 and 9%, respectively; mainly Corbicula spp.) and Myoida (20 and 4%, respectively; mainly Dreissena spp.). About one third of records, predominantly from Europe and the Americas, related to species that were non-native to the country of study. The majority of records originated from Asia (35%), with available evidence for 23 CICES classes, as well as Europe (29%) and North America (23%), where research was largely focused on ‘biomMCIU - Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades(CA18239)This study resulted from discussions facilitated by the EU COST Action CA18239. A.Z. was supported by an Anne McLaren Fellowship by the University of Nottingham. A.S.V. acknowledges support from FCT – Portuguese Foun dation for Science and Technology through the program Stimulus for Scientific Employment – Individual Support [contract reference 2020.01175.CEECIND] and Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovaci on y Universidades (Spain) through the 2018 Juan de la Cierva-Formaci on program [contract reference FJC2018-038131-I]. D.C.A. was supported by a Dawson Fellowship from St. Catharine’s College, Cam bridge. E.E. was supported by Portuguese national funds from FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology through projects UIDB/04326/2020, UIDP/04326/2020 and LA/ P/0101/2020. [Corrections added on 22 July 2022, after first online publication: Funder details for Eduardo Esteves have been added in this version.

A global synthesis of ecosystem services provided and disrupted by freshwater bivalve molluscs.

Identification of ecosystem services, i.e. the contributions that ecosystems make to human well-being, has proven instrumental in galvanising public and political support for safeguarding biodiversity and its benefits to people. Here we synthesise the global evidence on ecosystem services provided and disrupted by freshwater bivalves, a heterogenous group of >1200 species, including some of the most threatened (in Unionida) and invasive (e.g. Dreissena polymorpha) taxa globally. Our systematic literature review resulted in a data set of 904 records from 69 countries relating to 24 classes of provisioning (N = 189), cultural (N = 491) and regulating (N = 224) services following the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). Prominent ecosystem services included (i) the provisioning of food, materials and medicinal products, (ii) knowledge acquisition (e.g. on water quality, past environments and historical societies), ornamental and other cultural contributions, and (iii) the filtration, sequestration, storage and/or transformation of biological and physico-chemical water properties. About 9% of records provided evidence for the disruption rather than provision of ecosystem services. Synergies and trade-offs of ecosystem services were observed. For instance, water filtration by freshwater bivalves can be beneficial for the cultural service 'biomonitoring', while negatively or positively affecting food consumption or human recreation. Our evidence base spanned a total of 91 genera and 191 species, dominated by Unionida (55% of records, 76% of species), Veneroida (21 and 9%, respectively; mainly Corbicula spp.) and Myoida (20 and 4%, respectively; mainly Dreissena spp.). About one third of records, predominantly from Europe and the Americas, related to species that were non-native to the country of study. The majority of records originated from Asia (35%), with available evidence for 23 CICES classes, as well as Europe (29%) and North America (23%), where research was largely focused on 'biomonitoring'. Whilst the earliest record (from 1949) originated from North America, since 2000, annual output of records has increased rapidly in Asia and Europe. Future research should focus on filling gaps in knowledge in lesser-studied regions, including Africa and South America, and should look to provide a quantitative valuation of the socio-economic costs and benefits of ecosystem services shaped by freshwater bivalves