This year’s conference, ERRC2014, deals with some key challenges for the future: How we can innovate Integrated River Basin Management using Green Infrastructure, Natural Water Retention and Contemporary River Corridor Management.

The Green Infrastructure (GI), a strategically planned network of (semi) natural areas designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services is now being supported as the cross-sectoral approach by the European Union (EU).

Another cross-sectoral approach is the Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) aimed at reducing vulnerability to natural disasters, namely flooding and drought. Ecosystems and their service provision should be maintained and restored by agricultural buffers and environmental flows.

Conference sessions will focus on an innovative new approach called Contemporary River Corridor Management (CRCM). This approach is encapsulated in the SEE River Toolkit for river and land-use planning by focusing on the river corridor as the core part of the catchment area where most pressures on rivers are likely to occur. The approach includes a cross-sectoral engagement and stakeholder dialogue and cooperation at local, regional, national and international levels.

Ecological river restoration is one of the cross-cutting themes and solutions for supporting GI, NWRM and CRCM. Best practice approaches of river restoration have already been developed for most sectors. NWRM and CRCM need above all awareness-raising, outreach, ownership and capacity-building. Networking events like the ERRC2014 – See River Project final event, can play an important role in this.

Within this framework, the ERRC2014 conference will discuss better integrated river basin management showcase and discuss the realisation of new river restoration initiatives and approaches on a focused number of river restoration themes; urban resilience, sustainable land use and hydropower, hydromorphological continuity, fish migration and ecological and economic benefits. 

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The conference is organised by ECRR and the SEE River project. The UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Venice (Italy), is affiliated to the project as an observer partner.

The ECRR is a European network consisting of national centres and individual members bound by their mission to enhance and promote river restoration best practice throughout greater Europe.

The SEE River project is led by the Institute for Water of Slovenia and involving 25 more partners from 12 countries, the project aims at developing innovative approaches to contemporary river corridor management by engaging stakeholders along 6 international rivers in the South East Europe. It is co-funded by the EU in the framework of the Territorial Cooperation Programme South East Europe.  

Links:

SEE River Project http://www.see-river.net/

ERRC2014 http://www.errc2014.eu/