Advancing freshwater restoration

Excited to join the Network Nature Task Force meeting next week! Representing EcoAdvance, I get to work with other communicators to develop programs to support NBS, nature based solutions. 

How do we change the culture of grey infrastructure and focus more on leveraging what the environment may provide – rewilding, nature restoration and other methods to restore freshwater ecosystems?
The media plays a key role.

That's why at the Task Force meeting, I will be working to develop a program to educate journalists and help them understand the scientific and policy jargon and issues of the NBS, environment and climate sustainability ecosystem. 
Have an idea?

 Comment below so we can include it when we try to craft useful and feasible initiatives!

Will the Nature Restoration Law that went into effect last week achieve the jumpstart to ecosystem restoration Europe needs?

Maybe. Its supporters certainly hope it will anchor all of the work of NetworkNature EU, Biodiversa+, and other projects funded by the European Commission.

The challenge is how to “Make people part of ecosystem restoration in Europe” so it becomes a central tenet of European culture.

That is exactly why Bundesamt für Naturschutz German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation) held a workshop on the subject and gathered over 60 experts to pool their techniques and experience. 

So if you are looking for some high quality materials on how to engage people in investing in nature restoration, you'll find the answers and practical tips synthesized and expertly compiled by Irina Kozban, Simone Wulf and others into a video, a 2page guide for policy makers and a booklet that brings practice into focus. The outputs illustrate the importance, principles and practical aspects of involving society and various interest groups in restoration efforts: 

• 
  A short film “Making people part of ecosystem restoration” addresses the general public, Available at: https://lnkd.in/dGren6Wd
• A two-page information sheet “Making people part of ecosystem restoration – Key points for policy-makers” Available at: https://lnkd.in/dW5DDwpy
• A brochure (“PraxisInfo”) “Meaningful engagement in nature restoration at the local level” provides concrete practical guidance and references. Available at: https://lnkd.in/dF5Gaqag 

EcoAdvance Partner Lisa Waldenberger just came back from Paris and the launch of the BioDivRestore Knowledge Hub, a joint effort from Biodiversa+ and Water JPI/Water4All - Partnership to develop the knowledge Europe will need to effectively implement a hashtag#NatureRestoration Law. 

Hosted by the Ministère de la Transition Écologique et de la Cohésion des Territoires, and kicked off by Kim De Rijck, Policy Officer Biodiversity and Nature Restoration, EC, with a clear message: 

Europe must build synergies among the various initiatives and projects and make restoration knowledge more accessible in order to speed up the practice of restoration across Europe.

Lisa’s Task Force, on Research and Innovation, chaired by Metodi Sotirov and Stephanie Mansourian, spent two productive days outlining their roadmap and priorities. Sister projects MERLIN and BioAgora Project joined 50 other European and International experts from different aspects of restoration to hammer out workplans. 

This will certainly shape up to be a serious resource for European efforts to staunch Biodiversity loss and adapt to climate change. Stay Tuned!

EcoAdvance and Dalia Lighthouse launched an exciting new cluster initiative at the 3rd Workshop of the DALIA Danube Lighthouse Horizon Europe Mission to Restore Oceans and Waters. Zuzana Boukalova, Dalia WP1 leader and EcoAdvance WP2 Leader and meeting host @Veronika Ullmann (Katolische Uni Eichstatt – Ingolstadt) greet participants. @Jiří Kvapil (CCSS), WP4 Leader, introduced the DALIA Knowledge Hub for better decision making. 

Together with EcoAdvance, the teams will improve the Danube River Basin restoration of fresh and transitional water ecosystems by bringing together best practices and role models, like the EcoAdvance Showcases and Dalia demo sites.  Petr Pavlík (WRI TGM), the leader of the Dalia Demo Site 3, presented the run-off calculator, part of the options for improved protection of local communities and ecosystems from extreme events and pollution threats.

The EcoAdvance - DALIA Cluster, which will continue the roll-out in the coming months, will include consultations and exchange of experience as the Dalia Demo and replication sites work with EcoAdvance on determining what factors make freshwater restoration prone to success

Our own Lisa Waldenberger presented at the Brussels meeting of FreshWater Net BIOEAST & BOOST4BIOEAST - a coalition of Easten and Central Eu countries working to grow the bioeconomy and support smart water strategies including freshwater restoration. Barna Kovacs PhD introduced the agenda with Anastasia Perouli. Thanks for expert organization by Marie Kubankova and , Katerina Panailidou

What is the right balance between the benefits of hydropower and the challenges it can bring for river connectivity and biodiversity? How is the dams community in France addressing this?

EcoAdvance Coordinator Dr. Mark Morris addressed the Comité Français des Barrages et Réservoirs (CFBR) annual symposium posing the question, what is the right balance between clean energy generation from hydropower (plus other benefits such as drinking water supply, river navigation, offsetting floods and droughts etc.) and it’s potential for environmental impacts? Mark explained how EcoAdvance is focusing on innovators who are working to reduce these impacts and strengthen river connectivity through more effective fish passes, passing sediments through turbines, minimising the effects of hydro peaking, improving the efficiency and flexibility of existing assets etc.

Track the Showcases as they appear on EcoAdvance.eu and learn from the people who have contributed to balancing green energy with a Green Deal!

Why does the Soil Mission discuss water management in a very limited way? Water is an integral part of the soil, and it is very important to take into account mutual interactions, not only in the use of NBS, but also in cooperation with end users! Zuzana Boukalova and Karel Charvat spent Soil Week in Madrid working to involve water in the European Soil Mission.

Communicating Science through Personal Journeys of Star Scientists - EcoAdvance at the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Virtual Annual Conference, 7-8 Nov 2023

It was a real honor to present EcoAdvance at the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Virtual Annual Conference today. Great opportunity to discuss how to keep freshwater restoration on track with leading practicing restorers and restoration scientists. The presentation focused on a new approach: promote the contributions of individuals in addition to the institutions and organizations and document - invideo interviews - their personal advice on how to make meaningful change. We illustrated the approach with our Star Scientist program and included a video of Lisa Waldenberger interviewing Helmut Habersack to talk about how to make a difference to freshwater ecosystems.