AMBER & FITHYDRO EVENT – SMART WAYS TO IMPROVE RIVER CONNECTIVITY

Rivers rank among the most threatened ecosystems in the world, but also among the most valuable to society. Therefore, a large amount of funding is made available for restoration programmes. Conflict over water is not only one of the most widespread global stressors, but can also have an impact on nature and people. For centuries, dams and weirs have been built to control floods, improve navigation, provide supply for drinking water or irrigation, create or enhance recreation opportunities, as well as a means for hydropower production.

However, barriers block rivers, fragment waterways, isolate habitats and weaken wildlife populations. One of the major challenges to achieving a good ecological status of European rivers under the Water Framework Directive is to reduce the fragmentation of stream habitats caused by these man-made barriers, many of which are no longer in or of use. Improving stream connectivity, therefore, has been flagged as one of the priorities for more efficient stream restoration. In less than 3 years, AMBER produced smart tools to guide the restoration of river connectivity and help river managers make informed decisions. We will share these tools for the first time during this webinar.

Join our first session where we will launch the First pan-European Barriers Atlas. You will find out that many barriers are undocumented, abandoned and old. But you will also learn that you too can record barriers. With the Barrier Tracker App, you can help us build a better picture of stream fragmentation and restore connectivity the smart way.

We know river fragmentation is a continuing problem, but we now have 21st-century tools to reconnect our rivers. Join our second session where we will launch the AMBER magazine and share our fish-friendly solutions to mitigate barriers impacts.

Then, take a sneak peek into the future in our last session of the day. We will reflect on lessons learnt, dream the future and commit to making it real.

Join us, connect and together we will let it flow.

*Sign up before June 15th to receive a copy of our limited edition Let It Flow magazine, also launched on the 29th of June (limited to European citizens--please supply your address if you would like to receive the copy)*