According to a report by the environmental organization World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), the Isel is one of the ten rivers in the world that are particularly endangered by the expansion of hydropower. Unique habitats in and along the glacier river in East Tyrol are at stake.
The Vjosa in Albania or the Mekong in Southeast Asia share the same fate as the Isel in East Tyrol: They are among the ten most endangered rivers in the world. According to a report by WWF International, the reason for this is the expansion of hydropower. Around 260,000 kilometers could fall victim to construction projects in the next few years.
“Exploitation of the Alpine region by the energy industry”
“The unchecked expansion of hydropower on the East Tyrolean glacier rivers is an example of the exploitation of the Alpine region by the energy industry and the destruction of unique and valuable habitats,” criticizes Marianne Götsch, water protection expert at WWF Austria. “The area around the Isel is designated as a Natura 2000 protected area and a near-natural and climate-friendly river system.”
The WWF is therefore once again calling for the Isel and its tributaries to be protected. This should succeed, among other things, by stopping environmentally harmful subsidies in order to facilitate the exit from oil and gas.