Rhine Action Programme
The Rhine Action Programme (RAP) is a cooperative initiative aimed at restoring and protecting the Rhine River, one of Western Europe's most significant waterways, which flows through several countries including Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Established in response to severe pollution issues that arose in the 1980s, particularly highlighted by a disastrous chemical spill in 1986, the RAP seeks to rehabilitate the river's ecosystem, ensuring the health of both aquatic life and nearby human populations. Key objectives of the program include halving the discharge of dangerous pollutants, reinstating salmon populations that had vanished since the 1930s, and improving natural habitats along the riverbanks.
Although not enshrined in European law, the RAP is enforced by the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR), which oversees legislative measures and environmental standards among the member countries. Significant achievements have been reported, including the recovery of native species and improvements in water quality. By setting new targets and fostering international collaboration, the RAP continues to strive towards a cleaner and healthier Rhine, emphasizing the importance of sustainable management of this critical waterway for future generations.
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Rhine Action Programme
Identification: European river arising in Switzerland and flowing generally north to the North Sea
Long one of the most polluted rivers in Europe, the Rhine received increased attention in 1986 when a major chemical spill resulted in the destruction of millions of fish and other wildlife. Through the Rhine Action Programme, overseen by the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine, major environmental improvements have taken place in the Rhine basin.
The Rhine River originates in Switzerland and flows northward through Liechtenstein, Austria, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Italy, Luxembourg, and Belgium have territory in the Rhine basin. The Rhine is the major river of Western Europe, and with the Danube it forms the most important waterway in the region, cutting across the continent from the North Sea to the Black Sea. The Rhine is one of the most important geographic features of the European continent, both historically and economically. It has dozens of tributaries, and scores of important cities are located along its route.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries pollution of the Rhine not only killed plant and animal species dependent on the river but also presented a health hazard to the people who lived along the shore. The river’s water was not completely potable, and it caused damage to the infrastructure of the countries and cities through which it flowed. Cooperative efforts to clean the Rhine go back to the nineteenth century. In 1946 the governments of the countries along the river formed the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR).
During the 1980’s the Rhine remained one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. In the fall of 1986, as the result of a fire at a chemical storage facility in Basel, Switzerland, the river turned red when agricultural pesticides containing mercury poured into it. The deadly poisons moved northward along the course of the river and killed millions of fish and other wildlife. The public outcry over this incident forced the governments of the riparian countries to form the Rhine Action Programme (RAP) in 1987.
One lofty stated goal of the RAP was to bring salmon back to the Rhine by the year 2000; salmon had disappeared from the river in the 1930’s. The RAP’s more immediate goals were to cut in half the discharge of dangerous pollutants into the river, to raise safety standards, to take measures to allow fish to swim upstream and spawn in the Rhine’s tributaries, and to restore shoreline ecosystems to bring back natural fauna and flora. The RAP program was not incorporated into European Council law, but the ICPR executed and supervised the RAP mission. The member states agreed to enact legislation concerning the discharge of wastes into the river, to require permits for factory emissions, to build purification and measurement stations, and to tax both individuals and factories for environmental protection. They also agreed to cooperate on cleaning the river and conserving and restoring its natural surroundings.
In a 2009 report the ICPR stated that almost all native species had returned to the Rhine. Salmon, the key species, had made a partial return to the river, but more needed to be done. A new target date of 2015 was set to improve the habitat for salmon by improving access for the fish into the river tributaries. The largest improvement was the elimination of direct dumping of chemicals and pollutants into the river by factories in the member states. The governments have also cooperated in protecting and treating the river water and the basin’s groundwater to make it safe for consumption.
Bibliography
Hernan, Robert Emmet. “Rhine River, Switzerland, 1986.” In This Borrowed Earth: Lessons from the Fifteen Worst Environmental Disasters Around the World. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
Mellor, Roy E. H. The Rhine: A Study in the Geography of Water Transport. Aberdeen, Scotland: University of Aberdeen, 1983.
Pomeranz, Kenneth. “The Rhine as a World River.” In The Environment and World History, edited by Edmund Burke III and Kenneth Pomeranz. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009.