According to the plan, reeds, bulrushes, saxifrages and yellow pond lilies will be planted in large wire baskets in the lake to protect the aquatic plants from the nutrias. Against this background, the city has informed the GA that the hunting of the nutrias will continue as planned. At the same time, experts will study and report on the development of the population and the damage caused. The results will probably be available to the city in the summer.

In preparation for the planting campaign in May, employees have assembled 50 wire baskets for a total of 443 aquatic plants. Before the plants are delivered, the baskets are placed in the lake, filled with sand and lined with jute - this prevents the sand from immediately trickling out of the baskets.

"The filtering effect of aquatic plants is particularly important," explains Jan Peter Stiller from the Amt für Umwelt und Stadtgrün (department for the environment and urban greenery). "They help to keep the water parameters stable and to establish and maintain a balance in the so-called biocenosis - the interaction of the living organisms in a biotope". At present, the biocoenosis in the restored Rheinauensee is still stabilising. This can be seen, among other things, in the filamentous algae that have detached themselves from the bottom of the lake and are currently floating on the water surface. "This is completely normal in the first few years after a lake restoration and should not be confused with algae bloom," explains Stiller. According to the city, the planned fireworks display at Rhine in Flames is not problematic for the lake.

(Original text: buj/oni; Translation: Jean Lennox)