Wetlands International – European Association and the Italian Center for River Restoration invite you to join a series of webinars explaining methods and challenges of river restoration with a specific focus on improving river connectivity. By sharing evidence of effective restoration approaches we aim to enhance the conditions of European rivers and to foster the implementation of river restoration measures.
The construction of barriers and the alteration of water and sediment flows have caused the disruption of longitudinal continuity in many of Europe’s rivers. This has had severe implications for a number of migratory fish species, such as eel and salmon, and in general for the ecological conditions of rivers and related ecosystem services. Improvement of river connectivity is thus a key challenge for river managers.
With this webinar series, we aim to share best practices, promote the debate on new approaches and develop the capacity of CSOs, government, knowledge-based organisations, and other relevant stakeholders such as professional groups, to ensure that effective solutions are taken up in water management.
Flyer Webinar Series River Continuity Restoration
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The webinars are structured around six modules.
Duration of event: each session 1.5 hour (1 hour presentation, 30 minutes questions & answers), 7 sessions in total
Language: English
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Water, sediments and biota: why continuity is key for healthy rivers
Click here to watch this webinar on YouTube or download the presentation here.
Speaker: Dr. Fernando Magdaleno (Iberian Center for River Restoration)
Content of the webinar: In this session, the most relevant interactions between water, sediments and biota in river ecosystems will be presented, from an applied perspective. The speaker will offer examples of how those interactions rule river dynamics, and how they affect the ecological functions and ecosystem services provided by river systems. All concepts presented will be linked to present European legal obligations, scientific and technical knowledge, and social expectations along different European regions.
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Mapping and assessing discontinuities
Click here to watch this webinar on YouTube or download the presentation here.
Speaker: Barbara Belletti (Politecnico di Milano), In collaboration with the AMBER project
Content of the webinar: The session will present the Amber project and its contribution for mapping and assessing river connectivity in rivers. In particular, the session will focus on the Amber ATLAS, a pan-European database of all existing barriers across Europe which is going to be built within Amber, based on existing national data properly validated during the project life. This represents a huge but necessary effort to provide the real picture of river fragmentation in European rivers and to inform future barrier monitoring and management.
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Ecological and social restrictions to the restoration of river continuity: invasive species and other limitations
Click here to watch this webinar on YouTube or download the presentation here.
Speaker: Gustavo Gonzalez (Iberian Center for River Restoration)
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Dam removal step by step
Part I
Click here to watch this webinar on YouTube or download the presentation here.
Speaker: Pao Fernández Garrido (World Fish Migration Foundation / Dam Removal Europe)
Content of the webinar: This session will explain dam removal permitting processes in different countries (e.g. USA, Spain, UK, Sweden, France) and highlight best practices. The approximate costs of a dam removal and relevant grants to help cover dam removal costs will also be addressed.
Part II
Click here to watch this webinar on YouTube or download the presentation here.
Speaker: Laura Wildman (Princeton Hydro)
Content of the webinar: What technical steps need to be followed when removing a dam? This session will lead the participants through an overview of the critical phases of a dam removal project, from assessing feasibility for dam removal, through sediment analysis and engineering, and on to construction and the implementation of monitoring and adaptive management. Multiple case studies will be discussed to demonstrate the variability of project sites and responses to dam removal. A variety of lessons learned from completed dam removal projects in the USA will be highlighted.
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Fish passes: design, construction and maintenance, key criteria and main mistakes
Click here to watch this webinar on YouTube or download the presentation here.
Speaker: Professor Carlos Garcia De Leaniz, Swansea University and coordinator of the AMBER project and Jesús de la Fuente.
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Monitoring and evaluating fish connectivity: novel methods and experiences
Click here to watch this webinar on YouTube or download the presentation here.
Speaker: Yann Abdallah (Scimabio Interface)
Content of the webinar: Europe is committed to a strong public policy of restoring aquatic ecological continuity. After several years of application, feedback shows the need to evaluate the actions and monitor the effects on fish populations. During this webinar, we will take stock of recent scientific advances that allow the development of diagnostic tools to generate knowledge and answer operational management questions. We will discuss different tools and methods such as active / passive telemetry, genetic markers and video counting systems.
Download the full programme below.
Programme webinar series [updated 6 February]
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