Losses in the Oder River ecosystem to take years to make up for

The effects of the environmental disaster on the Oder River are still difficult to assess. Especially since there is no 100 percent certainty about its causes. Restoring the Oder ecosystem to its previous state will certainly take years, but there is no need to rush the process by force. 

"We should not make any sudden moves at the moment. Certainly, any situation in which some local or government politician will – in front of a crowd of journalists – let some fish into the Oder River is unacceptable. This could do more harm than good," Andrzej Mikulski, Ph.D., of Warsaw University, specified.

The expert also calls for the establishment of an interdisciplinary team of scientists to help deal with the consequences of the disaster. Especially since we still do not know the name of the toxin that poisoned the river.

"When we let the river function in a fairly natural way, it should deal with it after a while. Within a few months, this ecosystem will begin to function normally. On the other hand, the losses caused by the disappearance of species of organisms that are long-lived will take many years to make up for," the expert assessed.

(Newseria)