Many parts of the river Werra, mainly the headwaters and the middle reaches as well as some af the affluents, belong to nature protection areas with special demands and rules concerning the actions on the river and the different types of utilisation. We aim to protect the natural watercourse with its vegetation of aquatic plants and small-area alluvium banks. We also try to ensure enduringly good living conditions for the European Bullhead and the European Brook Lamprey. Between the towns of Breitungen and Creuzburg, the river valley makes up an area of bird sanctuary disignated by the European Union. So in the headwaters and the middle reaches, the river Werra can be seen as relatively untouched.
The developing touristy activities in the river valley increasingly endanger the nature protection area of the Werra itself and the adjacent regions. Especially the commercial contractors in the field of canoeing tourism only aim at profiting more and more. In Thuringia, 15 commercial contractors earn their money by offering canoeing or rafting tours an the Werra. Conflicts between environmentalists and canoeists of course rise quickly. So tourism and touristy use of the river has to accompany nature protection, which has not been the case so far. The concept of opening up for development has only been done by the tourism industry for the canoeists. Environmentalists and fishermen were excluded concerning the establishment of the according infrastructure. No real communication with the tourists and canoeists has not taken place so far. The contractors for boats or rafting tours did inform their customers neither about the river, nor about any aspects of nature protection. In most cases they just provided boats plus equipment – without further comments. Considering the huge capacity of motivated and open-minded customers, we should act here and adress there people directly and inform them.
The four clubs for canoeing sports are involved in some advanced training by the German Canoeing Association about nature protection and rules for actions in the nature. The Associations leaflet „Naturbewusst paddeln“ (canoeing with regard to the nature) offers important general information on canoeing on rivers in Germany. This kind of awareness rising only works for the members of the clubs on site. The commercial contractors as well as the tourists are not attainable. But the information are not exclusively adapted to the river Werra.
