After the destruction of the torrent in the strictly protected Rappenalptal near Oberstdorf due to unauthorized dredging work, the public prosecutor’s office has brought charges against two defendants. The prosecution sees a particularly serious case of environmental crime and the endangerment of areas in need of protection, as they announced on Friday.
The men are responsible for two alpine cooperatives that own the riverside properties next to the Rappenalpbach. They are said to have carried out extensive dredging work over a length of 1.6 kilometers in autumn 2022, thereby violating an agreement with the Oberallgäu district office.
The destruction of the torrent in the Allgäu High Alps also concerned the Bavarian state parliament in Munich at the time; the Federation for Nature Conservation speaks of it as “one of the worst natural scandals in recent years”. After the environmental destruction became known, there was mutual blame between the alpine farmers and the district authorities. Because the district office had permitted certain work on the water.
In proceedings before the Augsburg Administrative Court, the parties finally agreed that they would share the renaturation costs for the stream. In late summer 2023, work to restore a natural stream took place. The Kempten regional court must decide whether to admit charges against those responsible for the alpine cooperatives. There are therefore no dates for a trial yet. The presumption of innocence applies to both defendants until a final verdict is reached.