Conservation status assessment of aquatic habitats within the Rhine floodplain using an index based on macrophytes (original) (raw)

The assessment of aquatic habitats' conservation status within the Rhine floodplain is crucial given the impacts of pollution and habitat alteration. This study proposes an index based on macrophytes to determine conservation status, utilizing metrics that reflect ecological quality in relation to EU directives. Surveys conducted across numerous sites provided a comprehensive understanding of habitat conditions, revealing significant variation in conservation classification from degraded to excellent.