The Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) considers further deepening of the Elbe to be pointless and is calling for a return to the river's original state. "The Elbe no longer just lacks water; it also lacks ships and qualified skippers. Traditional Elbe shipping is history - a consequence of climate change and changing economic realities," explained Felix Ekardt, head of BUND in Saxony.
BUND: Elbe could become a hotspot for nature tourism
In Ekardt's opinion, the past ten years have provided a foretaste of the extremes that will have to be dealt with in the future. "Drought and floods. Natural flood protection works. We have to work with the river - not against it." We need "a new river policy that loosens the tight corset of the waterway and gives the Elbe back more of its original character". "The Elbe could become the German Loire - a hotspot for nature tourism."
