ECRRNEWS - 2/2017 The network for best practices of river restoration in Greater Europe European Centre for River Restoration AUGUST In this newsletter Editorial ECRR Newsletter XIV International Scientific/practical Symposium “Clean Water of Russia-2017” 2 Protecting our last wild French and European rivers through the “Wild River Site” label 4 Perspectives on Ecological Continuity: Natural heritage, History, Landscape and Renewable energy 6 Experiences of the Polish ECRR National River Restoration Centre 7 The Italian Centre for River Restoration (Centro Italiano per la Riqualificazione Fluviale – CIRF) 9 Dear reader, EUROPE-INBO 2017 (20-23 September Every time when we start to prepare different National Centres across Europe. 2017, Dublin, IRELAND) 10 the next newsletter we always have In addition, this year an important “Winner of the UK River Prize 2017 – the feeling that it might be difficult technical event was the International The Hampshire Avon” 11 to get a full range of interesting Symposium on “Clean Water of Russia”, articles. This was also the case for which raised great expectations all across European River Restoration Learning this newsletter. But nevertheless, like Europe. While the news from France about Hub Event 13 always we decided to continue the the Wild Rivers and the river continuity preparation, because this costs some show interesting new developments with rd I.S. Rivers 2018 3 International time and we also always experienced respect to the biodiversity conservation conference; Integrative sciences and that during the preparation process and ecological restoration. And the best sustainable development of rivers 14 new ideas for articles come up. This practices part is filled in by the restoration Event calendar 2017–2018 15 was now again the case. of the river Avon, the winner of the 2017 UK Riverprize 2017. Important is of course the news value of the article. In practice we have a Concerning the events, there is a few, for loyal readers’ recognisable broad range of opportunities to share groups. Technical articles, often information with and learn from others science based, demonstrated active in the field of river restoration. From best practices of river restoration, science, to policy, and to practice. We ask announcements and reports of river special attention for the fantastic initiative restoration knowledge sharing events of the European River Restoration and news about the ECRR Network. Learning Hub Event in Lyon, France at late The last at present with a series August this year. Altogether much good of articles of the River Restoration news, maybe not all for everybody, but at National Centres. least something for anybody. According to these experiences this We wish you a good reading of this newsletter is a very rich newsletter, newsletter! with a wide variety of articles even within a certain group. The Polish and Bart Fokkens, ECRR and Wetland Italian River Restoration Centres have International shared here the foundation, regular Francisco Martinez Capel, CIREF activities and future expectations of Timur Pavlyuk, RosNIIVH ECRR NEWS 1 ECRRNEWS - 2/2017 XIV International Scientific/practical Symposium «Clean Water of Russia-2017» Ekaterinburg-Expo Exhibition center Nadezhda Prokhorova, Director RosNIIVH, Russia On April 18-20, more than 20 different sessions were held aspects of the implementation of the Water Strategy 2020 of at the XIV Symposium «Clean Water of Russia - 2017». The Russia. Representatives of the President's Office in the Urals symposium was organized by Research Institute RosNIIVH Federal District, deputies of the State Duma of the Russian with the support of the Federal Agency for Water Resources Federation, the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region, the and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Federal Service of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Sverdlovsk Region. This took place in Ekaterinburg at the Welfare, leading scientists and water experts of the country, Ekaterinburg-EXPO Exhibition Center. Within this framework experts from 8 European and Central Asian countries took part of the present meeting representatives of the scientific in the events. community, business and government discussed the actual issues of implementation of the Water Strategy of the Russian This symposium coincided with the Year of Ecology in Russia. Federation. Therefore, the plenary session, round tables and seminars of the forum were traced with the «red thread» issues of The Forum «Clean Water of Russia», which dates back to environmental safety, solving problems of natural resources 1994, rightfully became one of the most authoritative stages protection and the improvement of the environmental quality. to discuss the strategic management directions of the water economy sector, taking into account of solving the We want to mention the workshop on «Ecological environmental problems and rational use of the resources. rehabilitation and restoration of waters» with the participation of experts from the European Center for River Restoration This year at the XIV International Scientific and Practical (ECRR) from Finland, Italy and the Netherlands. Approximately Symposium «Clean Water of Russia-2017» great attention was 70 participants were actively involved into the workshop paid to the scientific, economic, educational and cultural developments. There were presentations of rivers and Alexander Popov, RosNIIVH, Russia Giancarlo Gusmaroli, CIREF, Italy ECRR NEWS 2 ECRRNEWS - 2/2017 Full house! Youth projects presentations reservoirs restoration projects. For instance, we watched a The general outcomes of the workshop on waters restoration French movie about dam removal on rivers and an animated and rehabilitation showed increased interest of governmental cartoon about sustainable river flow management, with entities and structures to develop institutional and instrumental an explanation by Bart Fokkens. Twelve speakers from four aspects that will help to solve ecological problems of rivers and countries touched the most sensitive items of ecological reservoirs. A comparative analysis pointed out that the Russian restoration of waters. Alexander Popov spoke about the new Federation makes its starting steps in the way of ecological concept of water bodies restoration, that was developed restoration of waters, executing annually 3-5 new case studies in Russia since the beginning of this year. Transboundary of rehabilitation projects. The next, XV Symposium “Clean Water river restoration achievements and failures in research of Russia” will be held in 2019. programs between Russia and Finland were addressed in Jukka Jormola’s presentation. A special point of view, full of NB For more information, see the Symposium Resolution philosophy and poetry, was presented by Giancarlo Gusmaroli Report Symposium Resolution Report about river restoration challenges and showcases in Europe. ECRR NEWS 3 ECRRNEWS - 2/2017 Protecting our last wild French and European rivers through the “Wild River Site” label Valserine River ©Yannick Gouguenheim In 2007, EDF, Electricité de France, a major electricity producer “Réserves aquatiques” in Québec and the “Tiers Sauvage” in Europe decided to build a large dam on the Rizzanese River, from the Conservatoire du Littoral in France. In 2011, a first in the southern part of Corsica. This Mediterranean water- colloquium was organized in Annecy and, in October 2014, a course was one of the few intact French pristine rivers, with first river, the Valserine, in the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut a strong biodiversity (endemic trouts, cistude tortugas, eels). Jura, was labelled, in the Rhône Méditerranée Water Agency. White waters communities came to paddle there, from various A new qualification, a new Wild Rivers Site label, going European countries. Fishermen and hikers used to roam in its far beyond the “Very Good Ecological State” of the Water wild gorges and slopes. WWF, European Rivers Network (ERN) Framework Directive for our last free-flowing pristine rivers and local Corsican conservation organizations unsuccessfully was made. This was mainly due to a decisive commitment of opposed the work, supported by a rural community poorly a local river basin fishermen organization, the “Groupement informed on the values of this remarkable hydro-system. The Valsemine”, with a surprisingly strong support from the project was completely ignoring the hydro damages perceived political authorities of the Ain Department, who were as being an ecological way to produce energy, because it is enthusiastic from the beginning. renewable which proves, in many well documented cases all over the world, untrue. Hydro is frequently black, not green. After 9 years of hard work, the project is operational. The movement and its progressive structuration (a fund, the Wild Following the Rizzanese destruction, WWF and ERN launched Rivers Fund destined to collect private money, linked to ERN, a an innovative “Wild Rivers” programme, intended to protect grassroot organisation which is able to get public subsidies) is these last natural jewels. The goal was to promote, locally supported by various private stakeholders, small companies, and nationally, the values and richness based on the intact individuals, local NGO’s, fishermen groups. It is also backed biodiversity, the wilderness of pristine hydro-systems, with by public stakeholders (the Ministry of the Environment, the very low impacts of human activities, especially on hydro 6 French Water Agencies and the ex-Onema, now the