Completed

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.

The intensive urban development of the Bezannes joint development zone (ZAC), near Reims, has led to the artificialization of 172 hectares of land, along with a growing need for stormwater management. Vegetated swales were implemented in the southern part of the area, while in the north, stormwater is collected and directed to a facility that includes an artificial wetland, an artificial lagoon, and a reed bed filter.
The construction of this facility, initiated by the Greater Reims Urban Community (project owner) and Sinbio (project manager), aimed to incorporate a nature-based solution to manage stormwater inflows upstream of the Muire River, improve the quality of discharged water, and create a 5-hectare natural space that would benefit both local residents and biodiversity called Parc de la Roselière.

This project illustrates a shift from traditional civil engineering to ecological engineering, combining water regulation, pollution control, biodiversity enhancement, and public amenities.

Located in Geneva, this case describes the long-running programme of green roofs at the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG). The first roof (≈0.55 ha, 1993) was designed to retain ~30.25 m³/day; compared with a conventional roof it retains about 60% of runoff, while also recreating urban habitat. Since then the scheme has expanded: in 2023 HUG added 2,835 m² on three buildings (Maison de l’enfance et de l’adolescence, Adult Emergency extension, GIBOR). After a full inventory in 2024, HUG reports more than 11,900 m² of vegetated roofs across its sites.
Local monitoring in Geneva (TVEG/HEPIA) confirms hydrologic benefits beyond the original design assumptions: storm peaks are delayed and attenuated, with up to ~75% reduction for a summer event (and ~48% in winter), and a larger share of water returned by evapotranspiration (~61%) relative to a reference roof. The Canton’s “Nature en ville” programme documents biodiversity outcomes and provides up-to-date technical guidance; at cantonal level, compliant green roofs can lower stormwater fees.

The Ernz Blanche (Luxembourg) river restoration sought to undo channelisation that had uniformised the river and increased downstream flooding. It relocated the watercourse into the thalweg, widened and/or raised the bed, re-meandered the channel, backfilled the former bed, restored adjacent streams, redesigned pipeline connections, and redeveloped areas around hydraulic structures.

After the 2002 feasibility, major works were delivered in 2010–2011 on the Koedange–Supp reach (~5 km), reducing flood peaks at Larochette (–3.8 m³/s; –25 cm) and creating ~110,000 m³ of storage (project cost ≈ €1.52 m). In 2016, longitudinal continuity downstream at Ernzen was restored via a pool-type fish pass at Wehnschelt and a rough ramp at Milleboesch. The project area has also been tied into the PC5 cycle path and Natura 2000 management.

Under Luxembourg’s 2021–2027 Flood Risk Management Plan, additional riverbed restoration and space-for-river measures are listed/advancing on several reaches, incl. 417 m at Larochette; 1,102 m along CR119 at Ernzen (in implementation); 2,739 m at Altlinster; and 629 m at Medernach. Recent 2025 decisions cover local flood-protection works and targeted sediment removal in Larochette, while continuous hydrometric monitoring at station “Larochette / Ernz Blanche” supports ongoing management.

Along the lower ~8 km of the Ezousa riverbed near Paphos, a MAR/SAT scheme uses the aquifer as a natural reservoir: tertiary-treated effluent from the Paphos WWTP is conveyed to infiltration ponds in the riverbed, naturally filtered, stored and later abstracted for irrigation. Built in 2003, the system comprises five pond groups (23 basins in total) supplied by a 500-mm main, with a design capacity of roughly 9,000–12,000 m³/day. Annual recharge increased from ~1.63 Mm³ (2004) to 4.44 Mm³ (2015); WDD’s assessment (2006–2015) reported no adverse effects attributable to recharge, with only occasional chlorination by-products detected downstream. Research at the site indicates slight attenuation of nutrients and notes copper in groundwater exceeding EPA standards, likely of geogenic origin. Today, all reclaimed water produced in Paphos is routed to the Ezousa aquifer and then pumped and distributed for irrigation through the government network.
Since 2021, real-time sensors (water level, EC, temperature) linked to the INOWAS platform complement routine sampling, strengthening operational control.

WWF’s Danube-Carpathian Programme, together with residents of Mindya (Veliko Tarnovo), reconnected the Veselina River to a former meander near the village. When the bend was cut off in the past the channel incised by ~150 cm, so a low sill was built (works 2007–2008) to raise water levels and route flow back into the old course.
The reconnection now creates slower, warmer waters that support breeding habitat for fish and birds and add retention during high flows.
Project timeline: initiated 2005, works completed April 2008; total cost ≈ €76 k funded by WWF and the DOEN Foundation. The reach lies on WFD water body BG1YN130R029, classified as HMWB.
In May 2012 the site was legally designated the “River Veselina” Protected Area, announced by the Ministry of Environment and Water on the International Day for Biological Diversity; the designation explicitly includes the restored meander. The protected area covers about 98.6 ha between Kapinovo and Mindya.
Since designation, local biodiversity work has documented amphibian and reptile assemblages within the protected area, adding evidence of habitat value.

Germasogeia (Amathos) River crosses Yermasoyia municipality near Limassol. The measure, launched in 1982, restores natural purification and recharge of the Germasogeia alluvial aquifer, processes disrupted by the upstream dam. It works by gradual reservoir releases while maintaining the riverbed’s high transmissivity. Monitoring includes flows at four weirs, groundwater levels in observation wells and coastal salinity; pumped water supplies Limassol and nearby communities.

More recently, the Water Development Department (WDD) and academic partners developed and validated optimisation models (2016–2019) on WDD data to keep target water tables with lower release volumes, formalising the conjunctive-use operation. In 2015, a 1–1.5 m concrete weir on the Germasogeia was removed within a hydromorphological restoration project; it had reportedly been built to enhance recharge. In parallel, desalination capacity serving Limassol (e.g., Episkopi, Vasilikos, and new/expanded units) now provides a major share of potable supply, easing pressure on the aquifer in dry years. In the wider district, WDD also operates a separate MAR scheme at Akrotiri (17 recharge ponds, since 2016) using tertiary-treated effluent against seawater intrusion.

Overall, Germasogeia remains a long-running SAT/MAR scheme, now embedded in a diversified water-supply system and supported by modelling and river restoration actions.

The Nagyszéksós-tó project aimed to safeguard the natural and recreational functions of the protected lake area by improving retention of 1.2 million m³ of water from excess periods and supplying surplus water from the nearby village’s treatment plant, with extra polishing in a newly created wetland. Other objectives included enhancing groundwater recharge, restoring drainage capacity to avoid prolonged waterlogging of farmland, and providing Mórahalom with improved recreation, cultural and educational opportunities.
Since completion, the site has become a key habitat, supported by buffalo grazing for vegetation management and seasonal hydrological cycles typical of saline lakes. In recent years, summer drying has recurred, seen by conservationists as a natural phenomenon, though it poses challenges for tourism. A major eco-tourism development started in 2024–2025, led by the Kiskunság National Park Directorate and Mórahalom municipality, will deliver a new visitor centre, thematic trails, birdwatching towers and educational facilities, scheduled to open in 2026, aiming to balance habitat protection with sustainable public access.

Ecological flooding has been implemented in a polder area near Altenheim, Germany, as part of the Integrated Rhine Programme (IRP). Covering approximately 520 hectares, the Altenheim polders serve a dual function: ecological enhancement and flood retention, with a capacity of up to 17.6 million m³. Since 2001, controlled ecological flooding is triggered when the Rhine’s flow exceeds 1550 m³/s, with infrastructure allowing flows up to 80 m³/s. This approach has significantly improved biodiversity, groundwater dynamics, and habitat conditions.

The project also created recreational opportunities and enhanced landscape connectivity. However, challenges arose related to forest adaptation (notably shifts in tree species), mosquito proliferation, and groundwater level management. In response, new measures were introduced—including permanent swing barriers (installed in 2021) to protect wildlife during floods, and coordinated post-flood clean-ups involving local authorities and forestry services.

Recent evaluations confirm ongoing positive ecological effects, including increased amphibian, fish, and mammal presence. Regular maintenance and monitoring are coordinated by the Regional Council (Regierungspräsidium Freiburg), ensuring the multifunctional goals of flood protection, ecological restoration, and local engagement are maintained.

The national Landscape Revitalisation and Integrated River Basin Management Program (2010) aimed to curb ecosystem degradation and flood/drought risk by retaining rain where it falls, especially in damaged parts of the landscape. It deployed many small water-retention elements across 488 municipalities, restoring landscape storage via basins, ponds and similar measures. Early phases created ~7,700 seasonal jobs with about €43 million invested; the programme was adopted by Government Resolution 744/2010.
Following a change of government in 2012, the national programme was wound down; only ~4% of planned funds were disbursed and monitoring was not established in time. Yet many structures remained in place. In the Košice region alone, ~250,000 m³ of green/retention works were completed in 2010–2012, and the approach continues there under a region-wide Restoration Programme approved in 2021 with a 2021–2030 horizon. The Ministry of Agriculture is also preparing a ‘Climate Fund for Soil’ to support such measures.