Human land-use, control and exploitation interventions severely damage the ecological and climate adaptation conditions of riverine landscapes. Regulation of riverbeds, cutting of floodplains and exchange of natural banks and riparian habitats with built surfaces and industrial flow control devices, fatally deteriorate water retention capacities and adversely affect the climate change adaptation potential of these areas and systems.

RESTORIVER project increases climate adaptation capacities of riversides and riparian areas – potentially reducing the risk of droughts, floods and heatwaves – by harmonising, adapting and connecting higher-level water management, climate and flood protection policies with local interventions, effectively serving complex, transnational water and climate adaptation systems and stakeholder networks.
 
To meet these ambitions, the project joins water management, climate and nature conservation policy and knowledge institutions along the Danube and its tributaries, who explore multiple climate-related, social, economic and ecological benefits of natural water-retention measures (NWRM) and target key stumbling blocks of their Danube basin-wide application, identify and design feasible, high impact interventions, and implement pilot actions to test climate resilient approaches with the highest demonstration potential.
 
When identifying pilot locations, preference is given to urban/periurban areas - not only exposed to a higher concentration of users and polluters but also demonstrating positive effects of ecosystem-based approaches to citizens, stakeholders, implementers and policymakers, physically connected to these river sections.

Project goal is to:

Promote climate change adaptation capacities in the Danube Region and disaster management on a transnational level in relation to environmental risks taking into account ecosystem-based approaches through:

• Improving climate awareness & adaptation skills of stakeholders of riversides and riparian wetlands
• Co-designing and testing feasible, high-potential NWRM by municipalities and relevant authorities
• Improving planning and coordination frameworks to harmonize various level water and climate policies

This project has 15 project partners:

• Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds
• National Administration “Romanian Waters”
• Zagreb City Nature
• WWF Adria – Association for protection of nature and conservation of biological diversity
• WWF Slovakia
• Water Research Institute
• WWF World Wide Fund for Nature Hungary
• Municipality of  Érd City with County Rank
• Ruse Municipality
• Tulcea Municipality
• Romanian Ornithological Society
• City of Sombor
• General Directorate of Water Management
• World Wide Fund for Nature Adria – Serbia
• Public Union World Wide Fund for Nature Ukraine

and is implemented in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine.
Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds is the lead partner of the project.

Donor: Interreg Danube Region Programme

Duration: January 2024 - June 2026 (30 months)

Total budget: 2.412.655,60 €

For more information, visit the RESTORIVER website.