Wild river

This article explains the natural geographic term, for hydraulic engineering see torrent , for technical engineering see white water .

Unobstructed Nowitna River in Alaska

Whitewater Arkansas River

A wild river is a river that has not been regulated or changed by artificial structures .

Wild rivers often flow with many meanders through the landscape with a slight gradient . Deposited sediments can form sand and gravel banks that form river islands , separate branches of the river from the main river and can even obstruct the entire course of the river . The accompanying vegetation near the shore, wetlands and riparian forests and bush landscapes are also typical . On steep slopes or in mountainous areas, they form highly dynamic zones characterized by erosion , with rapids up to gorges , canyons , waterfalls and other valley shapes and formations.

In terms of hydraulic engineering, wild rivers as torrents or floodplains are a major problem for the settlement area, where they lead to flooding , erosion and filling of the bank zones and other basic relocations and changes. However, wild rivers are of particular ecological importance, especially where most of the water bodies have now been heavily modified in terms of hydraulic engineering , for example in Central Europe, where there are only a few wild river sections. Therefore, in modern hydraulic engineering, attempts are made to combine ecology and flood protection through suitable renaturation , especially because modern concepts have shown that wild rivers are locally more threatening, but in the entire water system because of their retention (delaying the runoff) they are flood-reducing compared to straightening .

They are also important in tourism, wild rivers with particularly strong currents and / or rapids are good natural white water , calm wild rivers are suitable for more attractive river walks . Therefore, wild rivers that are not too remote are mostly centers of adventure tourism .

literature

• G. Kangler, B. Liebl-Schwindhammer, A. Voigt: Fascination wild river - social perceptions of wild rivers and their relevance for nature conservation and landscape planning. In: ANLiegen Natur 36 (1), Laufen 2014, pp. 66–73. ( PDF, 0.6 MB , anl.bayern.de).