Completed

This project improves the conservation status of floodplain bird species protected in the Natura 2000 sites SPA Dunajské luhy (Slovakia) and SPA Szigetköz (Hungary). It is funded by the LIFE Programme. Since 2015, the follow-up LIFE Danube Floodplains (LIFE14 NAT/SK/001306) and partners have restored river connectivity and water regimes by reopening 18.5 km of tributaries, restoring >75 ha of wetlands and advancing earlier, better-timed simulated floods; water-regime improvement now covers ~1,805 ha. Recent actions in Slovakia include reopening 3.7 km of the lower Vojčianske side arm (2023–24), partial reconnection at Kráľovská lúka (2024) and re-excavation/reconnection of the Foki side arm in the Old Danube (~2.0 km; 2025). Monitoring reports note positive responses of rheophilic fish, amphibians and floodplain vegetation; hydromorphological works have restored extensive floodplain forest and riparian habitats (e.g., 482 ha of 91E0* and 115 ha of 91F0). In Hungary’s Szigetköz, the water-replenishment system was extended in 2014–15 and connectivity enhanced with fish passes at Dunasziget (1998), Ásványráró (2015) and at the Mosoni-Danube outlet in Vének (operational 2022).

The LivingFountains project, financed by the European Regional Development Fund and national funds, set out to restore and arrange 32 village water wells and ponds as cultural-heritage monuments in the Karst border area. At project closure, local press reported 34 wells and ponds restored across five cross-border municipalities, led by the Municipality of Miren–Kostanjevica; the three-year project involved 10 partners with a budget just over €825,000, and premiered the 42-minute documentary “Ujeta voda (Captured Water)” together with a public brochure/trail concept. In Šempeter-Vrtojba, four named wells were rehabilitated, Ulica 9. septembra, Krožna cesta, Zapučke, and Cesta na Čuklje ; and, with an additional €8,000 secured within the project, a fifth well at Cesta Prekomorskih brigad was also restored; the contractor was Remont d.o.o. (Ajdovščina).Today, interpretation continues via short themed trails in Miren Kras that tell the story of wells (štirne) and karst ponds (kali) around Kostanjevica na Krasu, Vojščica and Sela na Krasu, indicating ongoing local promotion and upkeep of these features.

The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority’s Fortuna Wetland Restoration Project reconnected the 2,115-ha agricultural polder “Fortuna” to the Danube, restoring the hydrological regime and functions (works completed in 2004). Since then, restoration has scaled up across the Șontea–Fortuna complex. In 2015–2017, the EEA-funded RESTORATION-DD project dredged 13.56 km of secondary channels to re-establish habitat connectivity and migration routes, with monitoring and outcomes reported for c.7,000 ha within the 24,636-ha hydrographic unit. From 2021 onward, ARBDD is implementing a multi-site POIM project (SMIS 2014+ 120889) to improve hydrological conditions in Șontea–Fortuna, Matița–Merhei and Somova–Parcheș; planned works include the Fortuna Canal (5,176 m) among other links, with public communications indicating ~156 km of channels across the complexes. In 2024, environmental procedures were filed for desilting Lakes Fortuna and Uzlina, signalling continued management of water circulation and eutrophication control.

The Ministry-coordinated programme in Šumava National Park restores natural (pre-drainage) water regimes to mires, stabilising water tables, reducing fluctuations, and re-starting peat-forming vegetation and processes while engaging the public. Design has been refined around the Target Water Table (TWT) and a micro-catchment approach to size/space peat and wooden dams, infill drains, and return small streams to near-natural courses; public outreach and monitoring are integral.
Since 1999 the programme has expanded far beyond early pilots: by 2024, 65 locations in the Šumava region had been hydrologically restored, totaling 2,718 ha, with ~296 km of drainage channels blocked, 36 km of streams and 28 spring areas restored.
Within LIFE for MIRES (2018–2024), the project delivered ~2,181 ha of restored wetlands, 212 km of ditches blocked, 35 km of restored streams, and 28 springs, supported by 1,840 volunteers, strengthening habitat for flagship species such as black grouse and improving landscape water retention.
Overall, Šumava’s mire restoration now couples targeted hydrological design with long-term monitoring and public involvement to secure biodiversity gains and climate-relevant water storage at landscape scale.

Removing barriers to fish migration, enhancing and restoring habitats, improving water-management infrastructure, and establishing a monitoring system. Funded by LIFE+ and implemented by Purgator Engineering Ltd. under the responsibility of the University of Ljubljana (UL FGG), the 2012–2016 “Ljubljanica connects” project rebuilt two dysfunctional fish passes (Fužine weir and Ambrožev trg), modernised the lifting gates at Ambrožev trg, and raised the Zalog sill by 20 cm to improve levels and oxygenation in upstream oxbows. A low-cost IR “fishcam” system was installed in both passes, providing continuous, online monitoring and confirming passage of 12 fish species, including the target Hucho hucho, Rutilus pigus and Leuciscus souffia. An After-LIFE plan maintains monitoring and knowledge transfer. While urban-section connectivity improved, full longitudinal continuity to the Sava remains constrained: the paper-mill weir at Vevče is the first impassable barrier upstream from the confluence, and the Gruber Canal sluice lacks a fish pass; national planning documents list measures to establish passability at Gruber. Coordinator: University of Ljubljana; partners: Purgator and Geateh.

On the Lower Danube between Silistra and Brăila, the LIFE project RESTOREWETLANDS (LIFE06 NAT/RO/000172) ran from 2006–2011 (eligible budget €1,017,396; EU contribution €489,209) to preserve, restore and sustainably manage the Small Islands of Brăila. Targets covered ~2,949 ha: planting alluvial forest on 449 ha, removing Amorpha fruticosa (planned 212 ha; achieved 237 ha), and restoring the natural hydrological regime on ~2,500 ha (incl. 1,366 ha of lakes). Forest and invasive-species actions met goals; however, prolonged floods limited lake works—Fundu Mare was only partial and the Navodari action failed.
The hydrological concept envisaged keeping permanent water via sluices in two zones (Egreta, Fundu Mare) and de-silting in a third (Navodari), with later expansion to other lakes; the plan also set out monitoring of siltation, banks and habitats.
Post-project reviews note that dredged channels re-closed where maintenance lapsed, reducing connectivity—an unexpected negative outcome.
Follow-up at Fundu Mare under EEA/SEE funding installed two sluices and channel works serving four lakes (~837 ha of open water); the park also maintains two educational water routes through light de-silting and removal of floating invasive vegetation.
Governance and planning have been updated with a Management Plan published by the park administration in 2024.

In the Xiropotamos River Basin, near the town of Naoussa in Central Macedonia, Greece, a set of natural water retention measures was implemented to address severe erosion, flash flooding, and reduced water availability. The area, affected by deforestation and land degradation, required restoration to stabilize soils and improve hydrological regulation.

The project, initiated in 2004 and approved under national environmental terms in 2013, combined afforestation, riverbed reshaping, and small-scale retention structures. Around 70 hectares of degraded land were reforested with native tree species to reduce runoff and increase infiltration. In parallel, a 2 km stretch of the river was reprofiled to reduce its slope, and a series of check-dams and retention basins were constructed to slow water flow and trap sediments.

Implementation was led by the Municipality of Naoussa with the support of a private contractor, and the public development agency AN.KO A.E. contributed to forest technical works in the mountainous upstream areas. The intervention stands out as one of the first in Greece to combine forest hydrological engineering with landscape restoration at basin scale.

The project helped decrease peak flows, reduce sediment transport, and improve local water retention. It also provided environmental co-benefits by restoring vegetation cover and stabilizing the catchment. Its approval under Greek environmental regulations highlights its formal recognition and alignment with national water and forest policy objectives.

Flow-weighted sampling was performed at the inlet and outlet of one of the infiltration trenches beneath the parking lot of a supermarket in Kungsbacka, south of Gothenburg. Monitoring ran from April–June 2012 and five storm events were originally analysed. The trench is part of a larger system serving the Maxi ICA site (≈3.1 ha) with three subsurface macadam trenches; the monitored “trench 1” had ~176 m³ storage with a permitted outflow of 6.17 L s⁻¹ (site cap 15 L s⁻¹). Runoff passes an oil separator and then discharges to stormwater ponds located between the car park and the Björkris residential area (toward Björkrisån/Kungsbackaån). Reported pollutant removals were high for TSS and metals and moderate for nitrogen, alongside clear flow attenuation. A subsequent peer-reviewed paper expanded the dataset to seven events and confirmed these trends. More recent municipal stormwater guidance (2023) highlights the Björkris/Hede ponds as part of the local network; while this corroborates the downstream arrangement, publicly available sources do not document the current maintenance or operational status of the specific trenches.

The project’s objective was to improve the conservation status of aquatic bird species in Lower Prut Floodplain Natural Park (Galați County, RO) through scientific inventory, monitoring, site restoration, awareness-raising, implementation of the park management plan, and the designation of Natura 2000 SPAs. Partners were the University of Bucharest, the Romanian Ornithological Society and Romsilva – Galați Forestry.

At Vlăscuța, connectivity with the Prut was re-established by de-clogging the access (366 m) and outflow (176 m) channels and installing two sluices to stabilise lake levels; a birdwatching tower was also built here. The site is a national natural reserve (RONPA0433, 41.8 ha) within the Natura 2000 network (park overlaps ROSCI0105 and SPAs including ROSPA0070). Recent management documents confirm these works and facilities.

The project’s objective was to improve the conservation status of aquatic bird species in Lower Prut Floodplain Natural Park (Galați County, RO) through scientific inventory, monitoring, site restoration, awareness-raising, implementation of the park management plan, and the designation of Natura 2000 SPAs. Partners were the University of Bucharest, the Romanian Ornithological Society and Romsilva – Galați Forestry.

At Pochina, two Prut–lake channels were cleaned and re-profiled (supply L = 362 m; evacuation L = 235 m), with small dykes/footbridges to maintain levels and enable gravitational flushing of sediments; a birdwatching tower was installed. Pochina is a national natural reserve (RONPA0432, 74.8 ha) located near Rogojeni (Suceveni Commune) and lies within the park’s Natura 2000 framework.