<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The project of a canal connecting the three major Central European Rivers: the Danube, Oder and Elbe, is incorporated into a planned trans-European transport network system. Geographically, the course of the planned canal stretches into the territory of four Central European countries, predominantly that of the Czech Republic. The environmental impacts of the potential construction and operation of the Danube–Oder–Elbe (DOE) Canal is currently widely discussed by experts from various fields. This paper aims to assess some potential impacts of the canal on the alluvial landscapes in the Czech Republic. The method of geo-ecological assessment presented here applies GIS analyses at the larger landscape scale. The results of the geo-ecological assessment of potential impacts of the DOE Canal on the land-use of river floodplains, the fluvial dynamics of streams and the extent of their alluvial plains, and the quantified DOE Canal impact on protected areas and groundwater sources, are presented. The hydrological impact of the DOE Canal will affect a total of 1,975.4 km<sup>2</sup> of river basins in the Czech Republic. The DOE Canal will affect 157 sites significant from the perspective of landscape and nature conservation, 7 nature parks and 113 existing water points which are used as groundwater sources. The results show that the most significant disruption of fluvial dynamics of the stream sediment regime would occur in the Protected Landscape Area of Litovelské Pomoraví. In general, the geo-ecological impact of the DOE Canal on the landscape will be very important.</p></abstract>

The project of a canal connecting the three major Central European Rivers: the Danube, Oder and Elbe, is incorporated into a planned trans-European transport network system. Geographically, the course of the planned canal stretches into the territory of four Central European countries, predominantly that of the Czech Republic. The environmental impacts of the potential construction and operation of the Danube–Oder–Elbe (DOE) Canal is currently widely discussed by experts from various fields. This paper aims to assess some potential impacts of the canal on the alluvial landscapes in the Czech Republic. The method of geo-ecological assessment presented here applies GIS analyses at the larger landscape scale. The results of the geo-ecological assessment of potential impacts of the DOE Canal on the land-use of river floodplains, the fluvial dynamics of streams and the extent of their alluvial plains, and the quantified DOE Canal impact on protected areas and groundwater sources, are presented. The hydrological impact of the DOE Canal will affect a total of 1,975.4 km2 of river basins in the Czech Republic. The DOE Canal will affect 157 sites significant from the perspective of landscape and nature conservation, 7 nature parks and 113 existing water points which are used as groundwater sources. The results show that the most significant disruption of fluvial dynamics of the stream sediment regime would occur in the Protected Landscape Area of Litovelské Pomoraví. In general, the geo-ecological impact of the DOE Canal on the landscape will be very important.

Potential geo-ecological impacts of the proposed Danube–Oder–Elbe Canal on alluvial landscapes in the Czech Republic

Dpt. of Development Studies, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences v.v.i., Dpt. of Environmental Geography, Brno, Czech Republic

Dpt. of Geoinformatics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Dpt. of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic

Dpt. of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

Moravian Geographical Reports

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The project of a canal connecting the three major Central European Rivers: the Danube, Oder and Elbe, is incorporated into a planned trans-European transport...

Potential geo-ecological impacts of the proposed Danube–Oder–Elbe Canal on alluvial landscapes in the Czech Republic

Published Online: Aug 21, 2015

Page range: 38 - 46

Received: Jul 01, 2014

Accepted: Feb 22, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mgr-2015-0009

Keywords
Geo-ecological assessment, GIS analysis, hydrological impact, protected areas, floodplain forests, DOE Canal, river floodplain, alluvial plain, Czech Republic

© Ivo Machar et al.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Potential geo-ecological impacts of the proposed Danube–Oder–Elbe Canal on alluvial landscapes in the Czech Republic

Published Online: Aug 21, 2015

Page range: 38 - 46

Received: Jul 01, 2014

Accepted: Feb 22, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mgr-2015-0009

KeywordsGeo-ecological assessment, GIS analysis, hydrological impact, protected areas, floodplain forests, DOE Canal, river floodplain, alluvial plain, Czech Republic

© Ivo Machar et al.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Geo-ecological assessment, GIS analysis, hydrological impact, protected areas, floodplain forests, DOE Canal, river floodplain, alluvial plain, Czech Republic