Anders Iversen’s Post

Flowing Forward: Collaborative Efforts to Restore Europe's Rivers. In this ECRR Technical News' three standout articles highlight the transformative power of river restoration actions: the Gipuzkoa Masterplan, the European Open Rivers Programme and the self-restoration of the Lower Dnipro Region.

As we approach the close of another productive year, we’re proud to announce a new milestone: our partnership with Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF / ΤΑΙΠΕΔ) for the Master Plan, Strategic Environmental Impact Study (SEIA), and the accompanying studies for the Port of Rhodes. Our mission is clear: - To assess and modernize the Port’s facilities, ensuring they meet the needs of commerce, tourism, and transportation. - To develop sustainable strategies for land use, urban organization, and environmental protection. - To drive economic growth by designing infrastructure that supports long-term development. Stay tuned as we share updates on this exciting project! #PortOfRhodes #SustainableDevelopment #CivilEngineering #MasterPlan Picture Author: dronepicr (https://lnkd.in/dVv3AC_j) - This picture is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

The 2024 Enlargement Package highlights the persistent environmental governance challenges in the Western Balkans, rooted in systemic failures that undermine alignment with EU accession requirements. Legislative changes prioritising economic interests over biodiversity conservation, such as Albania's amendments to its Protected Area Law, reveal deeper tensions between the pursuit of economic growth, weak administrative and judicial capacity, and the enforcement of environmental laws. These challenges illustrate broader global patterns where short-term gains come at the expense of long-term ecological integrity. Environmental governance in the region operates within a complex system where historical legacies, cultural values, economic dependencies, and power imbalances intersect. The balance between development and conservation is distorted by anthropocentric paradigms and a lack of inclusive, participatory frameworks. Power dynamics concentrated among corporate and political elites exacerbate vulnerabilities, leaving communities and ecosystems at risk. The EU’s focus on legal compliance often overlooks the deeper socio-cultural and psychological factors obstructing progress. Fragmented regulatory systems and administrative inefficiencies fail to deliver the systemic change needed to safeguard the region’s extraordinary natural heritage. Climate change amplifies these vulnerabilities, creating destabilising feedback loops for ecosystems and communities. Shifting this trajectory requires governance centred on ecological integrity, intergenerational equity, and the intrinsic value of Nature. Leveraging local knowledge, empowering communities, and fostering regional cooperation could strengthen resilience and align development with sustainability. The EU must hold governments accountable while ensuring meaningful support to address capacity gaps and inequities. The biodiversity of the Western Balkans represents a shared responsibility demanding global attention. #WesternBalkans #EnvironmentalGovernance #EUEnlargement #BiodiversityConservation #Sustainability #ClimateAction #NatureBasedSolutions #SystemsChange

Our partner from Romania - ASOCIATIA TEHNOPOL GALATI (ATG) - participated in the 19th International Conference on European Integration - Realities and Perspectives earlier this year. 🗣 The Conference provides a forum for exchanging ideas, research outcomes, business cases, and technical achievements. During the conference, Galati Tehnopol Association presented the most important aspects of the project 🌳"UrBan hEat islands REsilience, prepAreDness and mitigation strategy - Be Ready" 🌳 financed by the Interreg Danube Region program. That way more people understood the importance of actions in the sphere of green policies for cities. 🌆 #BeReady #Interreg #GreenIdeas

With more and more habitat loss across the Asian elephant’s range—and the commitments from home countries to promote the maintenance of connectivity when developing roads, rails, and other linear infrastructure—the journal Gajah is featuring the groundbreaking work of the Asian Elephant Transport Working Group to elevate the message and reach more decision-makers. The new issue of Gajah includes a two-page summary of the group's 2021 publication 'Protecting Asian Elephants From Linear Transport Infrastructure' (see link in comments) and the next issue is expected to cover the 2024 'Handbook to Mitigate the Impacts of Roads and Rails on Asian Elephants.' https://lnkd.in/gC22Rq4a

🎉 This year, September 26 will be the first time to celebrate the Carpathian Day. 📌 In October last year the 7th Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention welcomed “the idea of establishing the Carpathian Day to further promote the protection and sustainable development of the Carpathians and the Carpathian Convention activities at various levels,” and invites the Parties, relevant stakeholders and the Secretariat to contribute. 📌 What Green Dossier will organise and how to join 👉 https://lnkd.in/dQXvwCiS ℹ This article prepared in the frame of “Green and inclusive agricultural policy – steps towards” project implementing by ICO IC «Green Dossier» with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework «European Renaissance of Ukraine» project. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation. #GreenDeal #GreenRecovery #MovingForwardTogether

"The massive arrival of sargassum on the coasts of the Mexican Caribbean has generated an environmental and socioeconomic crisis. The excess of this seaweed has represented a loss of 11.6% of Quintana Roo’s PIB – around 41 billion Mexican pesos (~2 mld Euro). The Kingdom of the Netherlands has a long tradition in coastal management and marine engineering. With countries in the Kingdom that are being affected by sargassum, such as Curaçao and Sint Maarten, we have developed a strong knowledge foundation. This in combination with impressive innovations for collecting plastics in open water, Mexican stakeholders consider Dutch companies and organizations key players in turning sargassum into an opportunity." via LNV Attaché Netwerk

The rehabilitation and modernisation of the Albanian railway network is an important step towards European integration and the sustainable development of the country. Achieving these objectives requires a sustainable approach, combining international support with national commitment to improving technical capacities, legislation and railway infrastructure. The challenges remain great, but the support of the European Union and financial institutions is an important guarantee for the success of these efforts.

While the fate of the Aral Sea is well known, understanding of the environmental degradation of the Amu Darya is limited. Oscar Fraser Turner, Co-Founder of Project Amu Darya, sheds light on the river's past, present and potential future. Read here - https://loom.ly/bMdphAI