PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Skjern River Delta Restoration Project belongs to a wider group of wetland and river restoration projects. The project is a high profile national undertaking that is based on a decision taken by the Danish Parliament in 1987. The LIFE project was initiated in December 1993 and has been prolonged until the end of 1998. River Skjern is Denmark¿s largest river. The catchment area of the river covers 6 % of Denmark¿s land area. The river was extensively channelled in the 1960s and the negative effects of this has since become apparent. Outflow of silt and nutrients have caused severe damage to the brackish Ringkøbing fjord, and part of the agricultural land gained in the channeling has gradually subsided and become unusable. The project will re-establish the estuary flood plains and meanders of the river, thus restoring the biodiversity of the past wetlands and reducing the flow of detrimental silt and nutrients to the Ringkøbing fjord. The planning phase, which also includes a detailed land survey, will be concluded during 1997 and construction will start in 1998. A land acquisition programme covering more than 2000 hectares should be concluded by the time the construction gets under way. Monitoring the effects of the project on the Ringkøbing fjord will continue thereafter.