Mission 5

We’re reviving a river after mass extinction

Introduction

The Oder river brings water all the way from the Czech Republic down to the Baltic Sea. In 2022 it attracted international attention after a mysterious disaster killed off millions of Oder fish in just a few days. Experts were stumped as to what caused this mass extinction. It was eventually narrowed down to the illegal discharge of pollution into the river and exacerbated by climate change. In our fifth mission we set out to create a more resilient river by using its tributaries to create a lifeline for the struggling Oder.

The Mission

During the 2022 Oder river disaster, millions of fish fled into the Oder’s tributaries to seek refuge. These tributaries are often overlooked, but are crucial to the health of any river ecosystem.

The Planet Wild community funded the creation of new breeding grounds for fish in two of the Oder’s tributaries: the Ina and Gowienica rivers. This was done by replenishing the river beds with gravel. Alongside new breeding grounds, the method improves oxygenation, water cleansing and supports new habitats.

Mission Video

Impact Update - Year one

Debrief

💰

€11,000

Total invested

Already achieved

🐟

New spawning ground for various fish species

🌀

Increase in water oxygenation

Ideal outcome

💦

Cleaner water through increased surface area for microorganisms

🐞

Biodiversity increase on land via secondary effects (e.g. periodic flooding)

🌱

Lighthouse effect for other river rewilding initiatives

Our Partner

Artur Furdyna

Rewilding Oder Delta

We teamed up with Artur Furdyna who has spent the last 20 years bringing biodiversity back to the Oder and its tributaries. He came up with a revolutionary rewilding method that uses gravel to undo the harm humans have done to the tributary streams over hundreds of years. The gravel replenishes damaged riverbeds, encouraging biodiversity to return to these waterways. Artur is part of Rewilding Oder Delta, a large and vibrant rewilding network that aims to implement the concept of rewilding throughout Europe. In 2015 the Oder Delta became the eighth rewilding region in Europe.

Links

Rewilding Oder Delta Website

A huge thank you to all our

mission supporters

LEGEND

Supporter

Arne S. · Christian Malecki · Christian Reber · Luk · Martin Melzer · Matthias · Max O. · Nikolas Padios

Hero

Supporter

Abigail Salas · Alfred · Andreas · Andreas S. · Andre Schreder · Aykut Özdemir · Becca · Bjarne S. · Camila Vian · Christoph Caina · Claudia K. · Clemens Burtscher · Daniel N. · David Birch · Dennis H. · Dirk · Doktor Whatson · Doris H. · Familie Reuter · Ferdinand Mütsch · Florian F. · Freddy · Gabriel K. · Georg W. · Gerrit M. · Hannes M. · Holger Drust · Isabelle Ott · Jacob Beautemps · Jan B. · Jan Frederik M. · Jens · Jens · Jens L. · Jonas Christensen · Joseph · Jule Köbele · Julia · Julian U. · Julien G. · Kai M. · Karsten Huth · Katharina · Katharina · Kiran Wittmer · Lars A. · Leopold · Lorenz Hämmerle · Lucas M. · Lukas Gradehand · Lukas M. · Luke Skinner · Manuel K. · Maria Samuel · Marius Claßen · Marius K. · Markus · Markus Svensson · Martin Heinlin · Marvin 13 · Marvin L. · Matei Firică · Mathias W. · Maureen · Melanie Hopkins · Michael S. · Moritz · Moritz B. · Nick Alex · Nico Gröschner · Nikolaj G. · Norman Kellermann · Pascal F. · Patrick Knötzsch · Patrik · Pauliene H. · Paul M. · Paul Murphy · Philipp Gürtzsch · Ralf Herrmann · Ralf Kiefer · Rico · Rike P. · Sebastian · Simon Böer · Simone Caina · Snarf Snarf O'Bannion · Stefan · Stephan H. · Tanja H. · Theo B. · Thomas K. · Thomas Killinger · Thomas Wangemann · Timo Deutzmann · Tobias · Tobias Eberl · Tobias John · Ulrike Bliefert · Valentin Heidelberger · Vanessa Thau · Xavier Vuillet · Yannik Koffel

Mission publish date

July 15, 2023

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