The river mussel population in Luxembourg suffers from a shift in land use. Agriculture and the building of residential areas result in increased concentrations of nutriments and sediments in moving waters.
The Life-project tries to detect the problematic factors and apply provisions in order to decrease their effects:
- The building of fences along streams in the catchment area of the Our and Sauer is supposed to prevent erosion caused by cattle.
- Erecting water channels along field- and forest tracks should reduce the entry of fine sediments into the water bodies.
- Agro-environmental measures are elaborated with land users to reduce the nutrient input into the water. A specific monitoring accompanies the conversion to provide evidence of the desired achievement.
- Additionally, the river mussels are bred in captivity in the breeding station at the Kalborner mill to stock up existing populations.