Restoration

El Informe “Recopilación e identificación de acciones de restauración ecológica en humedales españoles”, cuya elaboración ha sido promovida por este Ministerio, refiere proyectos de restauración, mejora y/o adecuación de humedales efectuados en España durante los últimos 20 años, impulsados tanto por Administraciones públicas como por organizaciones de la sociedad civil. Se han localizado y consultado casi 700 proyectos, de los que en esta primera fase han sido seleccionados 78 para su consideración y descripción detallada en el Informe.

This review article critically examines how contemporary practitioners approach river restoration and challenges for implementing restoration, which include clearly identified objectives, holistic understanding of rivers as ecosystems, and the role of restoration as a social process.

This article aims to introduce new arguments for bioengineering along riverbanks by applying the ecosystem service approach. We focus on major regulating services usually provided by floodplains. Denitrification and phosphorous retention were estimated by applying proxy-based models. Carbon sequestration within vegetation was calculated using biomass equations. The study clearly indicates an increase of ecosystem services by bioengineering measures compared to conventionally fixed riverbanks.

This illustrated Construction Type Manual in 5 European languages compiles 170 construction methods describing techniques which use plants as building materials. This includes preparations necessary before they can be planted and become effective. This is followed by work which allows the plants alone to take over technical, ecological and aesthetic functions. Chapter 7, which is the largest one, contains methods of stabili-zing structures by combining living with non-living materials.

WWF works to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife, collaborating with partners from local to global levels in nearly 100 countries. WWF seeks to change how water is managed around the world. They encourage states relying on the same river to better coordinate their shared freshwater resources, and they advocate for water security in sustainable development. They also help strengthen the effectiveness of river basin management organizations so they are empowered to protect the natural capital of river basins and ensure climate-smart governance.

Via Donau is a subsidiary of the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation, and Technology (BMVIT) tasked with the preservation and development of the Danube waterway. It was established in 2005. Via Donau executes federal tasks in waterway and shipping. It has about 270 employees based at five locations, one main office, two field offices, and nine locks on the Danube.

PeatSense is a collaborative platform aimed at contributing to the monitoring, restoration and conservations at peatlands at scale. It is developed by the AI2Peat project, a project funded by Science Foundation Ireland under its Future Digital Challenge call. The AI2Peat consortium is composed of CeADAR - Ireland's centre for applied AI -, iCRAG - the SFI centre for applied geosciences - and NPWS - Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Services.

The RRR conference on Renewable Resources from Wet and Rewetted Peatlands in Greifswald offers a platform to explore these questions and many others, fostering dialogue between science and practice. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, the event aims to encourage knowledge exchange, build networks, and develop and strengthen practical, forward-looking solutions.

The European Wetland Map (EWM) improves the current state of knowledge on wetlands across Europe by locating, assessing and merging the latest geospatial data, e.g., on the distribution and types of floodplains and wetlands – coastal, mineral and peatlands in a bottom-up approach. It brings together existing data into a comprehensive, easily accessible resource to make wide spread European wetlands visible and enhance their analysis, understanding and management. The approach is described in the attached report. The EWM is made up of individual datasets for each of the countries included.