Flight to Europe, arrival at Amsterdam/Netherlands at 15:30 (KL 868)
Meeting with A. Zinke (Vienna). Bus transport to Rotterdam (hotel Tulip Inn)
19:00 Meeting with Mr Richard Holland and Mr Gernant Magnin (WWF Intl. Living Waters campaign); Lecture "River restoration projects on the Rhine River in NL" by Mr Gerard Litjens.
20:00 Dinner at the Kontiki restaurant in the hotel.
Tu 27 June
8:30 Bus excursion to river restoration projects at the Rhine delta:
1. Haringvliet sluices: built in 1970 to "protect" the estuary against storm waters from the sea, they badly changed the ecosystem. In May 2000, the NL government decided to reopened them again. Presentation (film "Changing Wetland") and guided tour to the sluice complex by Mr Jos van Hees, Ministry of Waterways and Public Works.
12.15 lunch
14:30: 2. Visit to the "Klein Profijt" nature development area near the Rotterdam harbour: guided tour by Mr Leo Linnartz (nature reserve manager, Stichting ARK) to the last tidal softwood floodplain forest on the Rhine.
17:30: bus returns to Amsterdam: overnight stay at hotel Ibis
19:30: Boat trip through the Amsterdam canals and dinner at restaurant Dorius
We 28 June
Train: dep. Amsterdam 7:55 to Germany (scenic travel along the Middle Rhine valley).
arr. Offenburg 14:31 (at 13:30 meeting with the interpretor Nobuko Häufle-Yasuda on the train).
Transport to Lahr.
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19:00 Transport to Rastatt and accomodation in hotel Schwert.
Thu 29 June
9:00 Visit of the WWF Institute for Floodplains Ecology in Rastatt: Presentation by director Prof. Dister on the research and practical experiences on the ecology of floodplains and in their management in Central Europe.
11:00 Excursion with vice-director Dipl.Ing. Rast to intact floodplain and to restoration sites near Rastatt as well as to the largest Rhine dam at Iffezheim (new fish ladder for migration of salmon).
Travel by train: dep. Rastatt 14:31 to Munich/Germany (arr. 18:24): accomodation in City hotel
20:00: short city tour by interpretor and Bavarian dinner (restaurant Schneider Weisse).
Fr 30 June
9:00 Meeting with Mrs Heßlinger at the Water Management Authority of Munich (on an island of the Isar river): Presentation / excursion with rented bus to the "Isar Plan" restoration projects in Munich.
11:30 Excursion with Mr Binder (director at the Bavarian State Authority for Water Management) to other restoration projects further up the Isar river (= alpine river) near Schäftlarn and Wolfratshausen
17:30 return; 19:00: walk through the English Garden and dinner. Night in Munich
Sa 1 July
Travel by train to Vienna/Austria (dep. 9:25, arr. 14:20)
Accomodation at park hotel Schönbrunn.
16:00 Meal in Japanese restaurant
19:00 Walk through the Schönbrunn park to the imperial palace: classical concert at 20:30
Night in Vienna
So 2 July
9:00 Excursion with rented minibus and new interpretor (Akiko Nakano) to restoration projects in the Danube floodplains (incl. rubber boats trip through the Danube floodplains national park): presentation of the WWF reserve (Mr Schneidergruber) and of the NP (Mr Baumgartner).
Late afternoon: Heurigen dinner (open air wine restaurant) in nearby village.
Return to and night in Vienna
Mo 3 July
8:30 Departure from hotel with rented minibus
9:00 Meeting at the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management:
Introduction by Gen-dir. W. Stalzer (head of the ministry's water management dep.)
Presentation by Mr D. Pleschko: the Austrian government's "Living Rivers Programme"
Presentation by Mr Schwaiger and Mrs V. Koller-Kreimel: legal and policy background of Austrian and EU water management & restoration programmes (Water Framework Directive)
11:30 end and departure
12:00 Meeting at UN City: presentation by ICPDR Secretary General Joachim Bendow (Permanent Secretariat of the Intl. Commission for the Protection of the Danube River) on the Danube Protection Convention and modern river management in South-Eastern Europe.
14:00 Lunch at UN City
14:30-19:00: Guided tour to river restoration projects in Vienna by Mrs Goldschmidt from the Vienna city government (agency for water engineering): visits to the new "Danube island" (= new flood retention area and the largest urban recreation site: fish pathway around the Freudenau hydrodam; Danube side-arms restoration programme at the Lobau; restoration of the river Wien valley).
20:00: short guided city tour by Mr Zinke (historical city center) and Viennese dinner;night in Vienna
Tu 4 July
8:30 departure
9:00 Federal Environment Agency: Information on renewable energy in Austria (biomass, solar and wind energy): Presentation by Franz Meister, Austrian Federal Environment Agency, and Mr Chr. Rakos, EVA (Energy Use Agency, Vienna)
11:00 departure
12:00 Lunch in Bruck/Leitha: Meeting with Mr M. Pober (managing director of the "Association to Promote Renewable Energy") and Mr Stava (city environment councillor) on the Energy Park (a successful private initiative to establish renewable energy in close cooperation with the city).
13:30 Visit of the Energy Park (biomass power plant for district heating opened in 1999, largest Austrian wind park to open in 2000, photovoltaic plant, bio-diesel fuel production).
15:00 departure to airport and return flight to Amsterdam and London
5-6 July: Separate programme in London
7-9 July: Separate programme at IBA Emscher Park (D) with university Dortmund
10 July: Return flight from Amsterdam to Japan (KL 867)
