MARA - start of new project regarding pearl mussle protection

Following ArKoNaVeRa, at 1. Juli 2021 a new project regarding conservation of freshwater pearl mussels starts!

MARA ("Margaritifera Restoration Alliance") is funded for six years by the German federal program "Biologische Vielfalt" (Biological Diversity) by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) (FKZ 3520685B45) with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

This joint project, with seven project partners, is the first species protection concept for the freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera; FPM) to be put into practice nationwide. The Institute for Hydrobiology (IHB) of TU Dresden is involved in the project as one of two research partners. We will investigate of the ecological effectiveness of agricultural management changes in regard to sustainable, water and soil-conserving as well as pearl mussel-friendly land use. Moreover, the IHB ecologically evaluates the habitat-improving measures carried out in the entire project area as well as the release of freshwater pearl mussels in the Saxon Vogtland and its success prognosis.