"Magic of the Isar": raising public awareness to safeguard the Upper Isar River in Germany through music

screen showing yellow and green colours at a conference — Andreas Volz

About the finalist

Lead applicants	WWF Deutschland
Category	Communication
Countries involved	Germany
Main Natura 2000 sites	Karwendel mit Isar (Germany)
Website	https://www.wwf.de/themen-projekte/naturschutz-deutschland/kooperation-mit-orchester-des-wandels/konzertabend-der-zauber-der-isar

Overview

The Upper Isar River, between the municipality of Krün and the Sylvenstein Reservoir, in the Karwendel mit Isar Natura 2000 site, is a unique natural area: it is the last-remaining large braided river landscape in the Alpine region in Germany. However, it is disappearing. A large part of its water is diverted at the Krüner Weir, for use in the Walchensee Power Station, meaning that there is no longer sufficient water to shape the landscape.

However, there is currently a historic opportunity to stop the gradual death of this valuable wild river and its associated habitats, as the usage rights for the Walchensee Power Plant have to be renegotiated by 2030.

To draw attention to this opportunity, and to raise public awareness of the uniqueness of this river landscape, the "Magic of the Isar" concert was organised on 14 March 2023 - the International Day of Action for Rivers - at the Gasteig cultural centre in Munich. The concert was organised by WWF Germany in cooperation with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra (a member of the "Orchester des Wandels” (Orchestras of Change)), the German Society for Nature Photography, and the filmmaker Jürgen Eichinger. The concert was funded by the German Postcode Lottery as part of the "Living Rivers" project.

A song about the river was specially composed for the evening, by the trio Brustmann, Schäfer & Horn. In this way, the language of music was used to celebrate the river's natural beauty and its need for restoration and protection. The music was accompanied by a screening of nature photographs from the area, and followed by short speeches by nature conservation experts and musicians.

The concert was attended by 250 people, including classical music lovers, nature lovers, interested professionals and decision-makers from technical authorities. After the concert, a video clip combining concert and nature footage was posted on YouTube and social media. Similar cultural events promoting the Upper Isar are planned for the future.