Brussels, 30/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - A mega dam project, planned by the largest Tyrolean Hydro-Electric Power Provider TIWAG, threatens to do irreversible damage to large areas of the Ötztal Alps, a hitherto untouched region of Austria that is protected under the Natura 2000 network which was established by the habitats directive, warns the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) in a study, published on 26 April, that gives great cause for concern.
WWF recently commissioned a scientific study on the natural values of the Ötztal Alps Wilderness Area, the largest remaining connected glacial zone of the entire Eastern Alps consisting of some 700 snow-capped peaks. The study examined the outstanding ecological values of this region and its vital importance for the preservation of alpine habitats and species.
The TIWAG plan, which is currently in its planning stage, aims to increase the output of an existing hydropower plant. As the time approaches for the Austrian minister for the environment to announce a decision on the legal framework making the proposal possible, the study reveals that various valleys penetrating the high mountain range, such as the Kaunertal and the Platzertal, would be affected by the proposed TIWAG project, which would see the construction of an almost 120 metre high embankment dam, posing a severe threat to rare alpine habitats, such as alpine meadows and dry grasslands.
In addition, four rivers would be severely affected as their waters would be conveyed via a pipeline system into the Kaunertal valley and the rivers transformed into lifeless drainages. According to the study, the dam project would have a “lasting, negative and unavoidable impact on these natural values”.
“We do not oppose the expansion of hydropower energy in general - but everything has its limits. WWF cannot accept the destruction of wilderness areas. No compensatory measures can justify the destruction of such habitats of pristine beauty”, said Thomas Diem, freshwater expert of WWF Austria.
The wilderness area of the Ötztal Alps boasts a plethora of species of European importance, such as 22 unique and protected plant species and lichens, 13 species of birds and 15 other animal species that are heavily protected by Tyrolean environmental law. (AN.transl.rt)