ECRR / European Centre for River Restoration

What’s the best way to communicate the value of freshwater ecosystem restoration? As we begin to analyze the data from our recent survey on what makes freshwater ecosystem restoration initiatives prone to success, use of Ecosystem Services Concepts is clearly becoming the method of choice.  90% of our respondents set goals in terms of Ecosystem Services. Another indicator of the increasing acceptance of this methodology is the recent Ecosystem Services Partnership Europe Conference which attracted over 500 participants to #Wageningen, Netherlands this past week. Our own University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) partner Lisa Waldenberger and others hosted a session on Freshwater Ecosystem Biodiversity and the impact of the pressures they face. DIscussions revolved around the need for transdisciplinary research to understand the various concurrent drivers at work and what they mean for the Ecosystem Services that can be delivered.

Beyond excited to have Mina Guli join us as a panel member at our upcoming Olympic Rivers satellite event! If you're interested in hearing about her insights and experience running 800km along the Seine and exploring the river's revolutionary restoration for the Paris Olympics, click the link below to register for this free, online event now 👇 https://lnkd.in/gRwqmHzE

Miljødirektkoratet har oppdatert veilederen for naturbaserte løsninger slik at det skal bli enklere for kommunene å ta i bruk naturbaserte løsninger i klimatilpasningsarbeidet. Sammen med NVE og Landbruksdirektoratet har Miljødirektoratet også samlet eksempler på naturbaserte løsninger, som inkluderer vassdrag, kantvegetasjon, meandrering, flomsletter, samt åpning av elver og bekker. https://lnkd.in/dKgreXPs

NRL e connettività fluviale: convegno CIRF-AdBPo, Torino, 22 novembre 2024 CIRF e Autorità di bacino distrettuale del fiume Po organizzano a Torino, presso il museo di Palazzo Madama, il convegno “Il Regolamento sul ripristino della natura: recuperare la connettività fluviale per migliorare la qualità del territorio e adattarsi ai cambiamenti climatici.” Si discuterà del processo di attuazione della Nature Restoration Law, sia in Europa che in Italia, e in particolare della sua componente fluviale e verranno presentati esempi emblematici di ripristino della connettività da diversi Paesi Europei. L’ingresso è gratuito, ma è obbligatoria la registrazione al link: https://lnkd.in/dR3twaaE È inoltre prevista l’erogazione di CFP per i partecipanti, ulteriori dettagli e programma degli interventi disponibili qui: https://lnkd.in/d2sxN4yk #restorenature #connettività

FALSE - Such an important Fact Check from Reuters - a map that was widely shared after the deadly Valencia floods to stir up anti-dam removal sentiment shows existing river barriers NOT dam removals. Making it clear that dam removals - despite the conspiracy theories - had nothing to do with the recent flood disaster in Spain. “These are not barriers that have been removed,” Carlos Garcia de Leaniz , an expert in aquatic biosciences from Swansea University and the University of Vigo, told Reuters, referring to the map on social media. The map instead shows existing barriers, he added. “The map circulating on social media is inaccurate and misleading,” said a spokesperson for the World Fish Migration Foundation. And Reuters agreed - VERDICT - False. The map shows river barriers near Valencia, not dams that have been removed. Wonder if all those who shared this anti-dam removal conspiracy theory will now do the right thing and apologise and share the truth? https://lnkd.in/emuke-Sz Stuart Orr Eva Hernández Herrero Herman Wanningen Michele Thieme Jeff Opperman Kerry Brink Kate Cooke

These are somber days for Spain, and my heart goes out to all who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods in the Valencia flood. This tragedy is truly heartbreaking. Adding to the sadness is the spread of misinformation, leading to misguided conclusions about the causes of this disaster. A prevalent myth suggests that recent flooding is due to the removal of dams around Valencia for environmental reasons. I'm relieved that Reuters has published an article today correcting this misinformation: only a few small levees were removed, and they had no impact on the tragic flooding in Spain. It’s all too easy to place blame on environmental efforts, yet the real issue lies elsewhere. If we made space for nature, allowing floodplains to remain undeveloped and rivers to flow according to their natural rhythms, if we limited concrete development and resisted attempts to "tame" water, extreme rainfall events would not be as catastrophic. I urge everyone to critically assess the information they receive, especially now, when uncovering the truth is more challenging than ever.

In September, the Rewilding Sweden team organised a helicopter drop of 150 tonnes of sand and gravel into the Abramsån River, a tributary of the 210-kilometre long Råne River – Europe’s longest undammed forest river. It is typical of many waterways in the northern Sweden damaged by historical logging. In the early twentieth century, the Abramsån was heavily impacted by Sweden’s industrial-scale forestry industry. To facilitate the transportation of logs, large boulders and stones were removed from the river bed and piled up at the river’s edge, while a wooden floor made up of individual tree trunks was laid down in parts of the river. The river channel was also straightened out and narrowed, to further enhance the timber floating process. This channelisation increased the flow of water in the river, which in turn washed away almost all of the fine-grained sediment that would, under natural conditions, be found in pockets and backwaters around larger stones on the riverbed. It was pretty much all flushed downstream. Without this sediment, many bottom-dwelling insect larvae (or benthic fauna) were deprived of habitat, so their populations declined and disappeared. Additionally, the spawning grounds of fish and habitat for freshwater pearl mussels disappeared too. The recent efforts of the Rewilding Sweden team have reversed the channelisation on the Abramsån, and have helped to restore the natural flow of water. But the fine-grained sediment is still missing, and it would take centuries for it to build up again naturally. By reintroducing sand and gravel, the aim is to accelerate the recovery of a range of benthic fauna species, boost the reproduction of fish such as trout and salmon, and enhance mussel populations. https://lnkd.in/dSQVahzh

ECRR / European Centre for River Restoration calls for Abstract Papers: 5th I.S.Rivers International Conference. We are pleased to announce the call for abstract papers for the 5th I.S.Rivers International Conference, which will focus on research and actions related to the management of (large) rivers, whether natural or highly anthropized. This conference will address socio-hydro-system adaptation in the context of global climate changes and will bring together French and international scientists, decision-makers, managers, and technicians. The conference will be held from 30 June to 4 July, 2025, in Lyon, France. For more information on the conference, please visit here: https://lnkd.in/eH27wdbt ECRR / European Centre for River Restoration is excited to organize a session on Nature-based Solutions for River Restoration and Climate Change, and we would be delighted to have you join us. Would you be interested in presenting your work in this session? Could you disseminate this call within your network of doctoral students, colleagues, or management partners who might be interested? Have a look at the attached abstracts manual! Your participation and support in sharing this call would be greatly appreciated.

Today is Restoration Day at CBD COP 16, taking place in Cali, Columbia! The Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme is using this moment to launch its Key Performance Indicators which are aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Together with the Monitoring Impact Hub these indicators show how the ELSP is leading the way – by supporting the restoration of degraded ecosystems across Europe, and through our commitment to tracking our progress against the GBF, and its goal to halt and REVERSE nature loss. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/edVdwFcV 📷 Kate Garnham

📣 We’re excited to announce that the European Open Rivers Programme Programme is now accepting applications for dam removal grants! If you’re working on a project to restore rivers by removing obsolete dams, this is your chance to secure funding. 🗓️ Deadline: 12:00 pm CET on 29th November 2024 More information can be found at https://lnkd.in/ew7ihAdi #DamRemoval #RiverRestoration #OpenRiversEU