Chapter 1 – Introduction to European Rivers

Publisher Summary Rivers recognize no political boundaries. This is particularly true for Europe, which has over 150 transboundary rivers. For example, the Danube is the 29th longest river globally and it drains parts of 19 countries and 10 ecoregions. Further, 8 of the 10 largest catchments in Europe are in the eastern plains of Russia and the Ukraine and information on their present status is highly limited. Europe also has a long history in river training with most rivers being severely fragmented, channelized, and polluted. The European Union launched an ambitious program called the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which requires a catchment management plan for all major European rivers for achieving “good ecological status” by 2015. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of all major European catchments included in the book, starting with the bio-geographic setting, with an emphasis on physiography, hydrology, ecology/biodiversity, and human impacts.