Ongoing

The Šavnik Flood Resilience Strategy Project seeks to strengthen community resilience and protect ecosystems in Montenegro’s Komarnica catchment, a nationally significant river system that flows through the Komarnica and Dragišnica Nature Parks. Triggered by the severe floods of October 2024, the project addresses both the urgent need for flood risk reduction and the long-term safeguarding of natural assets.

Its objectives are to co-develop a participatory sponge strategy and action plan that integrates hydrological, soil and GIS assessments with community knowledge. Within this framework, some of pilot nature-based solutions, which can be (bioswales, reforestation measures, and wetland revitalization)—will be tested in the Komarnica valley and formally embedded in Šavnik’s Local Protection and Rescue Plan, ensuring institutional uptake and continuity beyond the project.
As a Translating Region within SpongeWorks, Šavnik will adapt lessons learned from the Lèze demonstrator to the context of a small mountainous municipality. By doing so, the project will generate fresh datasets, refine co-design and multi-actor engagement practices, and deliver replicable examples of sponge strategies in protected landscapes.

The expected impact extends beyond local benefits: reduced flood risks, improved soil and water retention, and enhanced biodiversity. At the same time, the initiative contributes directly to the goals of the EU Missions on Climate Adaptation, Soil Health, and Water Restoration, showcasing how locally anchored, nature-based actions can advance European priorities. By combining technical analysis, stakeholder participation, and tangible pilot implementation, the project aims to serve as a scalable model for other vulnerable and ecologically valuable regions across Western Balkans and broader.

The project aims to restore near 2,500 hectares of urban peatlands in the Lviv agglomeration that have been degraded by drainage, land reclamation, and urbanization. Peatlands perform an important ecological function—they regulate the water balance, accumulate carbon, and are home to dozens of rare plant and animal species.
Over the past decades, anthropogenic pressure has caused the groundwater level in the region to drop, leading to a loss of biodiversity and an increased risk of fires. The degradation of these areas also reduces the urban environment's ability to adapt to climate change.
To address these challenges, the project is implementing four main areas of activity:
- Comprehensive environmental assessment of peatlands (before and after implementation of measures) using IUCN methodology.
- Development of a strategic restoration plan and roadmap agreed with the communities of Lviv, Kulykivka, Novoyarychiv, and Murovany.
- Selective restoration work on 30 hectares — planting local plant species, moisturizing areas, and creating conditions for the natural reproduction of beavers as an indicator species.
- An educational and information campaign to raise awareness among local residents about the benefits of peatlands and the importance of nature-based solutions.
The project is being implemented in partnership with local universities, environmental organizations, community initiatives, and municipalities. The expected outcome is not only an improvement in the hydrological condition and biodiversity, but also the formation of a long-term model for managing urban ecosystems.
The restored peatlands of the Lviv agglomeration will serve as a pilot model for scaling up nature-based solutions in other regions of Ukraine, contributing to the implementation of the European Green Deal, the EU's Climate Change Adaptation Mission and Soil Deal for Europe, as well as the integration of environmental policy into post-war recovery strategies.

The Green Sponge project is underway in Val di Cornia, an area facing high climate and water vulnerability, with the goal of boosting environmental and social resilience using a "sponge" approach and Nature-Based Solutions. The project blends strategic regional planning with local testing, driving water management that can sustainably absorb, retain, and release water resources. This helps lower flood risks and enhance the ecological health of the environment.

The initiative relies on a structured co-design process that brings together public agencies, technical and scientific experts, community groups, schools, and residents, blending local insights with specialized expertise. At the operational heart of the project is the creation of a Sponge Park at Parco della Tufaia in Venturina Terme. Designed as a showcase, educational hub, and public space, it turns green and blue infrastructure into practical tools for climate adaptation and public awareness.

Waterlandschap is a groundbreaking program bringing together 33 local coalitions across Flanders—uniting efforts to build a resilient and regenerative future. Each coalition is a collaboration of water managers, farmers’ associations, nature organizations, and local and provincial authorities, working hand in hand to tackle urgent water and land challenges. Backed by a robust €35 million investment, the program is focused on developing and implementing practical, scalable solutions that promote healthy agriculture, a sustainable water system and a robust and climate-resilient landscape. With initiatives reaching across 38% of Flanders’ open space, Waterlandschap is not just a program, it’s a movement to safeguard the region’s future, one collaboration at a time.

County Wicklow faces increasing challenges related to climate change, flood risk, and biodiversity loss due to land-use pressures and hydrological changes. The project seeks to address these challenges through the implementation of sponge measures that enhance water retention, improve flood resilience, and support biodiversity conservation.
The initiative includes the development of a Sponge Strategy and Action Plan for the entire project area, learning from the experiences of our demonstration region, the Lèze river basin in France, and through collaboration with other project partners.
The project has three core focus areas, i) water retention in upland wetlands, ii) water retention in farming landscapes, iii) and nature-based solutions for the urban environment.
A key output will be the demonstration initiative in the Derry water sub-catchment. This pilot will involve working with landowners to trial sponge measures, proved elsewhere and adapted to local farming needs. A strategy will be developed to provide a framework for best practice in engaging the farming community and promoting the wider adoption of nature-based solutions.
To complement rural interventions, the project will include urban engagement in Aughrim, working with the community to identify and implement measures such as rain gardens, permeable paving, and detention basins to mitigate urban runoff and enhance local climate resilience.
The project will also conduct a catchment-wide scoping assessment to map ongoing initiatives, identify gaps, and highlight new opportunities for sponge measures. Finally, a strong knowledge-sharing component will ensure that lessons learned are disseminated widely, supporting replication in other regions and embedding sponge strategies into long-term land and water management planning.
Through this multi-faceted approach, Wicklow County Council and its partners will demonstrate the feasibility, scalability, and long-term benefits of sponge measures in an Irish context, supporting EU climate, soil and water missions.

The Júcar River Basin faces significant environmental challenges, including sedimentation, soil degradation and increased pressures from extreme weather events and land-use changes. The Associated Region 6 (of the SpongeWorks project) utilizes an integrated nature-based solutions approach that incorporates riparian vegetation restoration and sustainable agricultural practices with cover crops. These interventions are designed to stabilize riverbanks, reduce sediment mobilization, improve agricultural resilience and increase the basin’s water retention capacity. Collectively, the Associated Region of the Júcar River Basin advances climate adaptation and ecosystem restoration in a semi-arid Mediterranean context.

The Old Dong-ér channel is located in the Dong-ér Water Shortage Protection Area 11.02, surrounding the Máriatelep district of Baks Municipality. Once a naturally waterlogged area, it has dried out in recent years due to prolonged drought. To improve landscape water retention, restore ecological conditions, and enhance groundwater recharge, a water replenishment program has been initiated.

At present, water is supplied through a temporary, mobile siphon system that transfers water from the Dong-ér Main Canal into the Old Dong-ér channel. The provisional system, consisting of DN110 HDPE pipes and plastic fittings, was constructed jointly by the Municipality of Baks and the Kiskunság National Park Directorate. The pipeline conveys water across the flood protection embankment into the natural depression while ensuring that the embankment remains stable and unaffected by seepage. Operation of the siphon requires the Benedek sluice gate to remain closed, maintaining the water level necessary for siphon flow.

The transferred water fills the Old Dong-ér channel from the west, passes through the culvert beneath the Baks–Máriatelep road, and continues eastward along the natural depression until it reaches a drainage canal owned by the Hungarian State and managed by the Lower Tisza District Water Directorate (ATIVIZIG). The western section of the Old Dong-ér is managed by the Municipality of Baks, while the eastern section is managed by the Kiskunság National Park Directorate. Both organizations support the water replenishment initiative as a means of restoring ecological balance, improving landscape-scale water retention, and creating conditions for raising groundwater levels.

The siphon system was most recently put into operation on 4 February 2026. Prior to commissioning, temporary staff gauges were installed in the Old Dong-ér channel to monitor water levels. At start-up, a water level of 656 cm was recorded at the Benedek sluice. Within the framework of the DONG-SPONGE Project, the Old Dong-ér channel continues to be supplied with water from the storage volume retained upstream of the closed sluice.

The permanent construction of the siphon system requires a water rights establishment permit. To support the permitting process, comprehensive surveys have been carried out within the SPONGE Project. These included high-resolution LiDAR mapping and ground-based geodetic surveys to determine the longitudinal and cross-sectional profiles of the channel, its storage capacity, and storage curve. Additional manual cross-section surveys were conducted in water-covered sections where LiDAR measurements were insufficient. Geotechnical investigations, ecological assessments, and GIS analyses were also completed to provide the information required for the design and permitting process.

Based on these completed investigations and surveys, the water rights permit design for the permanent siphon-based water replenishment system of the Old Dong-ér is currently under preparation.

The ORAGE project (Opportunities to develop guidelines on the management of agricultural plots and agricultural catchment areas to improve water resource management) aims to provide farmers and local authorities with technical, economic and social guidelines for sustainable water management through regenerative hydrology. The aim of this project is to improve water retention in the soil and reduce the risks of drought and erosion, whilst maintaining farm productivity. The project facilitates cross-sector collaboration between all stakeholders. For this project, the Porte de DrômArdèche community of communes, a project partner, will serve as the pilot catchment area. Its work will focus on trialling Phase 1 of the resource guide “Towards Regenerative Hydrology (PUHR)”, developed by the association of the same name, with the aim of developing a project to regenerate water cycles at the level of an agricultural sub-watershed. This work will enable the regenerative hydrology methodology to be tested and refined at a regional level.

For this case study the core objective is how to enhance the sponge functioning in a modern, optimized drained landscape. The goal is to improve the understanding of the system to increase groundwater levels, seepage, and stream discharge during summer. Some of the aspects that will be further explored include: stimulating groundwater recharge through infiltration and reducing drainage throughout the catchment.

For this case study the core objective is how to enhance the sponge functioning in a modern, optimized drained landscape. The goal is to improve the understanding of the system to increase groundwater levels, seepage, and stream discharge during summer. Some of the aspects that will be further explored include: stimulating groundwater recharge through infiltration and reducing drainage throughout the catchment.