Prone2Success Checklist

EcoAdvance European Project

Planning ➤ Define the scale ➤ Take sufficient scale of action (catchments)

The issue

As waterbodies are connected across the watershed, local point solutions are usually not sufficient. For restoration to be effective, whole catchments have to be targeted, or at least included in the planning processes.


What some of our showcases say:

Mihai: in the past, there have been a lot of very small projects; that's changing now slowly;

Elena: great to see cross-country and cross-sector projects are working in the Danube - problems upstream are different from problems downstream


You can read up on this here:

Singh et al. (2021)
Woolsey et al. (2007)
Pander & Geist (2013)

GERMANYDr Twan Stoffers

Postdoctoral researcher fish ecology  

Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries & Aquaculture & Fisheries group at Wageningen University and Research

Scientists & Researchers

  • Floodplain restoration
  • Ecological evaluation
  • Monitoring
  • Fish conservation

The IGB is Germany’s largest and one of the world's leading research centers for inland waters. It is also one of the oldest institutions in this field. The IGB collaborates closely with numerous national and international universities, as well as other partners from science and society.

AUSTRIADr Helmut Habersack

Univ. Prof., University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria

Scientists & Researchers

Helmut also serves as President of the International Commission for the Hydrology of the Rhine Basin (KHR), Vice President of the UNESCO IHP Intergovernmental Council, and Vice President of the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research (WASER).

HUNGARYDr Olga Baranyai

Chief technical expert, biologist at West-transdanubian Water Directorate

EC / PolicyMakers / Funders / Government

  • Hydrological improvement
  • Pollution Reduction

Olga was selected for a showcase because of her experience in leading a river restoration project in a Hungariaon-Austrian Interreg Project. 

NETHERLANDSDr Ellis Penning

Deltares, Inland Water Systems

Expert Nature-based Solutions and Aquatic Ecology

Scientists & Researchers

  • Nature-based Solutions

Ellis is an expert in the field of Nature based Solutions and ecohydraulic research with over 20 years of experience. She leads the Deltares strategic research program on Nature Based Solutions and carries out a variety of projects related to this subject, both in the national and international context.

HUNGARYZoltán Ecsedi

Life+ project leader at Hortobágy Environmental Association

EC / PolicyMakers / Funders / Government

  • Rehabilitation of River and network of wetlands
  • Hydrology
  • Climate change
  • Integration of key stakeholders into the project

Zoltán was selected for a showcase because of his expertise in leading two river-wetland mosaic restoration LIFE+ projects. 

AUSTRIADr Christoph Hauer

Senior researcher, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

Specialist in eco-hydraulics and natural hydraulic engineering

Scientists & Researchers

Christophe has over 15 years of experience in interdisciplinary research, connecting hydraulics and sediment transport with aquatic and semi-aquatic biota, with a particular focus on hydropower plant management.

AUSTRIAElena Kmetova-Biro

LIFE WILDisland Project Coordinator - Donau-Auen National Park

Restoration Engineers / Consultants / Practitioners

  • WILDisland restoration and conservation
  • river redynamization
  • non-intervention management
  • cross-sector and cross-border cooperation

This organisation is part of the Danube Parks network that unites Austria’s national parks along the Danube River, emphasizing their special role in nature conservation. These parks are not only important for Austria but also hold international significance, having developed into centers for environmental education and successful regional flagship projects.

CROATIAMarina Petrić

Monitoring and Restoration officer - WWF Adria

NGOs & Civil Society

  • Cross-border restoration
  • Floodplain
  • Landscape-scale planning
  • Cross-sector collaboration

Marina Petrić was selected as a Recreating Freshwater Showcase because she played a key role in a transboundary freshwater restoration project within one of Europe’s most ambitious ecological initiatives—the Amazon of Europe in the Mura–Drava–Danube Biosphere Reserve. Her work at WWF Adria involves coordinating complex restoration efforts across national borders, institutions, and ecosystems, making her perspective highly relevant for understanding the challenges and opportunities of large-scale, integrated river restoration. 

Her interview provided valuable insights into: 

  • Practical restoration measures, such as side-channel reconnection and floodplain forest restoration; 
  • The importance of institutional cooperation and the difficulties of working across multiple countries with differing regulations and priorities; 
  • The role of the Restoration Task Force as a platform for stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange; 
  • Lessons in adaptability, persistence, and stakeholder diplomacy in the face of institutional and logistical challenges. 

Overall, her contribution highlighted both the technical complexity and social dynamics of successful freshwater restoration, offering important lessons for practitioners working in multi-level governance contexts. 

ROMANIAMihai Cristian Adamescu

Researcher
University of Bucharest/Research Center in Systems Ecology and Sustainability

Scientists & Researchers

  • Compiling approaches and methods that have worked in freshwater restoration
  • Establishing a living platform 
  • Holistic projects needed 
  • Re-establish trust with local stakeholders, co-design measures

Mihai has over 20 years of experience with freshwater ecosystems. He has been working in the Danube Delta, with the LTER network and is now coordinating a large project that gathers knowledge, tools and stakeholders across the Danube basin, with testing methods on four demonstration sites and six monitoring sites.

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