Alpine Rivers Symposium 2024 - Salzach River

The Alps are the water tower of Europe. It is estimated that up to 40% of Europe's freshwater is located there. Thousands of streams, brooks and rivers that originate in the Alps have formed the basis of a traditional cultural landscape and unique biodiversity for centuries. The more than 1000 hydroelectric power stations in the Alpine region provide electricity for millions of people and, in many places, are the basis for trade, agriculture and industry in addition to Alpine tourism.  

However, the Alps and their watercourses are changing rapidly. In the next few decades, 90% of the Alpine glaciers will melt completely. The snow and meltwater that is missing from the rivers is also missing from nature and us humans. This has an impact on the economy, especially tourism, electricity production, agriculture, for example in the Italian Po basin, and European inland navigation on the Rhine, Rhone and Danube.  

Against this background, the first Alpine River Symposium focuses on the Alpine landscape in a broader sense and poses the following questions: What does a healthy Alpine river actually look like? How will Alpine rivers change in the coming years and how do we deal with this? Which developments can we actively influence, proactively avert, and to which must we learn to adapt?  

The 1000-year-old border town of Burghausen, whose prosperity and identity have always been closely linked to the Salzach, is inviting scientists and representatives from the 8 countries bordering the Alps to exchange ideas at a two-day symposium. The symposium will take place at the TUM Academy Centre on the banks of the Salzach. In addition to the lectures, which are open to the public, there will also be film screenings and panel discussions on the topic in the Ankerkino cinema, as well as an accompanying programme for children and families in a local citizen center, the Haus der Familie.  

Participants can present their work and highlight ways in which the Alpine regions can maintain their economic vitality while restoring and preserving healthy rivers and nature. The symposium will provide an opportunity to discuss strategies for effectively addressing the challenges of climate change together with agriculture, industry and nature conservation. The aim is to explore scenarios that ensure that Alpine rivers - exemplified by the Salzach - continue to flourish as living, species-rich cultural landscapes.