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Poject Overview

Human land-use, control and exploitation interventions severely damage 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 increases climate adaptation capacities of riversides and riparian areas – potentially reducing risk of droughts, floods and heatwaves – by harmonising, adapting and connecting higher level water management, climate adaptation 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. Activities are upscaled by sharing knowledge, demonstrating benefits of NWRM, formulating recommendations for integrated planning and support decision making processes, as well as by widespread capacity-building, awareness raising and engagement of stakeholders, practitioners and citizens in urban contexts and beyond.

Specific Objective

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

-        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 harmonise various level water and climate policies