Oberstdorf (dpa / lby) - Environmentalists, authorities and criminal investigators are currently dealing with potentially inadmissible river engineering measures on a torrent in a nature reserve in the Allgäu Alps. As reported by the Ministry of the Environment in Munich, Minister Thorsten Glauber (Free Voters) now wants to get an idea of the situation on site. "The environment ministry takes the case very seriously," said a ministry spokesman. There are fines of up to 50,000 euros for such interventions in protected areas.
According to the Federal Nature Conservation Agency in Bavaria (BN), a "torrent as a dynamic habitat along a flow path of around one and a half kilometers was destroyed" by construction measures. The BN noticed the changes and made them public. Several authorities are now dealing with the case.
The Rappenalptal is located in the southernmost tip of Germany. According to the BN, the once branched stream was straightened and turned into a canal. The shore areas have been rigorously levelled.
The public prosecutor's office in Kempten has initiated preliminary investigations. So far, however, it is unclear who exactly is responsible for the construction work. The process is currently being reviewed, said senior public prosecutor Sebastian Murer.
