UN award for project to protect the freshwater pearl mussel

A project to protect the endangered freshwater pearl mussel has received a UN award. The project to breed and release the mussel into the wild is now one of the projects of the UN Decade for the Restoration of Ecosystems, announced the Ministry of the Environment in Dresden. The award was presented on Tuesday in Neuburg am Inn in Bavaria.

The "MARA - Margaritifera Restoration Alliance" project operates a breeding station in Vogtland. The freshwater pearl mussel has also been released into the wild for several years. The aim is to stabilize the population in the Vogtland region. The Vogtland district, the Institute of Hydrobiology at TU Dresden and the Landesstiftung Natur und Umwelt are involved in the project. In Saxony, 2.2 million euros are available for the project.

The freshwater mussels are considered an indicator of clean water. However, they are threatened with extinction and are only found in a few bodies of water in the Vogtland region of Saxony. The mussel's distribution area also includes rivers and streams in Bavaria. Efforts are also being made to protect the endangered species in the neighboring Free State.