RESTORE and the River Restoration Centre

1. Rivers:
Engaging,
Supporting and
Transferring
knOwledge for
Restoration in Martin Janes
Managing Director
Europe River Restoration Centre (UK)
WEST Region RESTORE Lead
Restoration of streams: The Houting Project – October 2011, Denmark

2. The River Restoration Centre (RRC)
• Independent, not‐for‐profit, technical advisory organisation
• Not a consultancy, non‐competitive support role
• RRC aims to support the development of river restoration as
an integral part of best‐practice river management in UK
• Dedicated to making river management more effective
through the collection and dissemination of knowledge on
river restoration, informing and influencing policy and
practice.
– Promotion
– Information Since 1992
– Advice

3. RRC Activities
• Promotion
– Annual Conference, Workshops, Training,
Newsletters…
• Information
– RRC Inventory, Website, Demonstration sites, Manual
of River Restoration Techniques…
• Advice on projects RRC Annual Conference ‘06, R. Tummel
– One day scoping visits &
outline suggestions;
– Contacts & partnerships;
– Technical design ideas;
– Assessment of success.
• Advice on policy Nottingham – April 2012

4. Rivers:
Engaging,
Supporting and
Transferring
knOwledge for
Restoration in
Europe
Restoration of streams: The Houting Project – October 2011, Denmark

5. RESTORE: Communicating
best practice in river restoration
€1.8m, 50% EU LIFE+
6 Partners, 2010 ‐ 2013
4 Regions, 21 Countries

6. RESTORE Partners
RESTORE is implemented by 6 partners:
• Environment Agency for England and Wales (EA),
• UK River Restoration Centre (RRC),
• Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE),
• Italian River Restoration Centre (CIRF),
• Dutch Gov’t Service for Land and Water Management (DLG)
• Wetlands International (WI).
The project works closely with European Centre for River Restoration (ECRR).
Financial support is provided by EU‐Life
and the UK Department of Environment, food and Rural Affairs (defra)

7. Why RESTORE? Celebrate!

8. Culture and Perception

9. RESTORE Project Goals
LIFE+ Information and Communication for
awareness raising campaigns
‘Communicating river restoration best practice’
• 37 events in over 15 countries
• 1200 persons engaged through events
• 500 case studies on the WIKI database
• 90,000 persons through project outreach

10. RESTORE Project Goals
Better RR implementation based on for
LIFE+ ‘Information and Communication’
sound science & best practice, through
awareness raising campaigns
joined up policy, planning and funding
• 36 events in over 10 countries
• 1200 persons engaged through events
• 500 case studies on the WIKI database
• 90,000 persons through project outreach
• International River Restoration Conference

11. 3 years ‐ 3 stages
• Stage 1 – information collection and collation. What exists as
best practice river restoration & implementation and how is
this needed by different countries?
• Stage 2 – engagement. Building the networks of policy
makers, river basin managers and practitioners and forming
the information resource.
• Stage 3 – Knowledge transfer. Web based database tool for
information sharing, long‐term continuation through the
European Centre for River Restoration (ECRR).

12. RESTORE common themes
Costs and benefits Regional issues and concerns
• Long term economic benefits
• Costing river restoration East
• Sourcing funding
• Access to funds and information,
few networks, promote
What do we mean by RR understanding
• What is river restoration
South
• How to undertake river restoration
• Only little progress outside
France, issues of ephemeral rivers,
Drivers through directives water quality, bioengineering vs
• Contribution to flood risk reduction RR
• Contribution to increased biodiversity West
• How to meet WFD RR targets
• Concept understood, needs
• Climate change adaptation
evidence, funding, guidance,
• Renewable energy conflicts political & planning buy‐in, public
safety.
People and communities North
• Integrating with urban planning
• Fisheries and hydropower drivers,
• Social and cultural wellbeing mixed levels of networks in
operation.

13. Review of EU Policy Drivers
A demand for river restoration tools and methods...
• Legislative Drivers:
– Habitats, Floods, Water Framework directives
– UN BioD Plan, Rural Development Prog., CC Adaptation &
Land Use Planning policies.
• Supporting Legislation
– CAP, Nitrates & Groundwater directives
But deterioration of habitats despite these drivers.
=> Difficulties in overcoming obstacles to
implementation for river restoration

14. Barriers and Constraints

15. Overcoming barriers
• Wide applicability of Good Practice examples..
– E.g. RESTORE Wiki Database and website material
Review conclusions...
• Political will for national policy to facilitate river restoration;
• Barriers overcome by participation & effective approaches;
• Skills of project managers are key to successful delivery;
• Many specialists believe in a ‘learn as we go’ approach;
• Need for capacity building (individuals and organisations).

16. Who? The Target Audience
• Main Target Audience
– River Basin Planners
– Policy Makers
– Practitioners

17. Who? The Target Audience
• Main Target Audience Hydropower
Flood Risk
Management
– River Basin Planners
Agriculture
– Policy Makers Academia
Spatial
– Practitioners planning
Water
Conservation Resources
• Wider stakeholders Fisheries
Infrastructure
– Researchers: key players Local
Waste water government

18. UK Target
Audience Map

20. Capacity Building Events
• RR Networks
• Sector‐specific
– Contractors/Consultant
s
– NGO & River Trusts
– Urban planners
– Flood risk managers....
• Policy makers and
River Basin Planners
• Field visits
• End Conference

22. Capacity Building Events
• RR Networks
• Sector‐specific
– Contractors/Consultant
s
– NGO & River Trusts
– Urban planners
– Flood risk managers....
• Policy makers and
River Basin Planners
• Field visits
• End Conference

23. ‘River Restoration Design
and Construction’
Western Region ‐ July 2011
• One day workshop and site visit in UK
• Invited audience of consultants, contractors
and client managers
• To discuss issues which arise between the
design phase and the construction phase of
river restoration projects

24. Key Issues
• Current Contractor Procurement
Frameworks & lack of relevant river
restoration/WFD expertise;
• The need for early contractor involvement;
• Limitations of completing the project in a financial year;
• Uncertainty and Risk: ‐ lack of client managers’
understanding of river restoration which can lead to
‘over’‐designed schemes;
• What tolerance is acceptable to river restoration
materials and availability of products? Can we produce
standard specification of materials?

25. Actions
• Environment Agency to look
into changing current
Tendering Frameworks;
• Workshops to develop statement on benefits
of early contractor involvement;
• Case study of project delivery methodology in
Southern Ireland ;
• Raise Government awareness of need for
funding over more than one financial year;

26. Actions
• ‘Lessons Learnt’ project
followed by workshops on
how to deliver appropriate river restoration;
• Work with appropriate organisations across
Europe to produce technical specifications for
river restoration products and materials.
• Discussions on how Denmark could re‐form a
Danish River Restoration Centre/Network.

27. Northern Region ‐ workshop
‘Agriculture, environmentally sound drainage
and river restoration’ – the Practitioners
– Finland and Sweden ‐ workshop & field discussion.
Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)

28. Capacity Building Events
• RR Networks
• Sector‐specific
– Contractors/Consultant
s
– NGO & River Trusts
– Urban planners
– Flood risk managers....
• Policy makers and
River Basin Planners
• Field visits
• End Conference

29. 4 th Nordic WFD Conference
• Norway, Sept 2011 ‐ River Basin Managers
Delivering WFD GEP and renewable energy
– Mitigation & spawning habitat benefits
Fish bypass channels

30. Western Region – Policy & RBMP
Paris, 29th November 2011
‘Policy support for catchment river restoration
and landuse planning’
– How is national policy delivering river restoration?
– How to fund catchment approach to water
management
– Incorporate into WWF6 outputs from Ljublyana
RRC, ONEMA, UK Environment Agency....

31. Capacity Building Events
• RR Networks
• Sector‐specific
– Contractors/Consultant
s
– NGO & River Trusts
– Urban planners
– Flood risk managers....
• Policy makers and
River Basin Planners
• Field visits
• End Conference

32. Southern Region – Field Trip
Italian Centre for River Restoration (CIRF)
• Incised rivers and morphological restoration
Italy and Austria – 25‐28th October 2011
– Politicians, planners and practitioners
• Discussion topics
• Management alternatives,
• Research needs
• Technical approaches
• Results and experiences
Confirm interest by 7th October – a.goltara@cirf.org

33. RESTORE ‐ Forthcoming Events
Where: Portugal, 18th October 2011 Audience: Practitioners, policy makers and RB Planners
Key theme: Benefits and costs of river restoration: evaluation approaches and experiences
Conference: First Iberian River Restoration Congress
Where: France 22 & 23rd February 2012: Audience: Policy and RBMP Any Offers?
Workshop theme and Conference: Water management in Europe
• Germany
Where: Netherlands, March 2012: Audience: Practitioners • R o Ireland
Key theme: Conflicts between landownership, planning and usage • Belgium
Where: UK, 19th April, 2012: Audience: Practitioners
Key theme: Funding and policy and how they aid deliver on the ground
Interest still
Conference: RRC Annual Conference : Delivering restoration needed to help
host other
Where: Denmark, 17th – 21st June: Audience: Practitioners events and field
Key theme: Monitoring effectiveness and building the evidence base trips
Conference: SWS Wetland restoration challenges and opportunities
In the Hat
Where: Austria 17th ‐ 21st September 2012: Audience: Practitioners
Key theme: River Restoration and weir removal
Conference: 9th International symposium on eco‐hydraulics

34. Developing New Resources
• Project website
www.RestoreRivers.EU
– Hub for guidance, by
region
– News and events
• Best practice booklet
• Wiki/Google database
– Populated
– Quality controlled

35. WIKI tool
Web platform for river
restoration practices,
approaches, benefits
and contacts
Similar in function to the
FORECASTER tool
(IWRM‐net).
Allows user to enter and
update info.
Google maps based
referenced case
studies and dataset.

36. Strengthening the Network
Design &
delivery Biodiversity
benefits We need your help NOW!
Agricultural
drainage EU regulatory
requirements
• Contacts directory
– Identifying audience
Funding
Hydropower – Event participation
mitigation Urban
planning
Flood risk
benefits
Climate • Case studies
scenarios – Leads to follow up
Socio‐cultural
Long term
benefits
economics
Impact on
land use
• Themes for events

37. Western Region – RRC lead
Initial trawl of RRC and
ECRR information:
210 projects + (UK 2000)
400 contacts – policy, basin
managers and
practitioners + (UK 3000)

38. Denmark Target
Audience Map
Improve RESTORE’s coverage of the key audience for river restoration:
1.Policy makers;
2.River Basin Managers/planners;
3.Practitioners
And the wider body of Stakeholders and interested parties

39. 1000 Danish restoration projects

40. How you can get involved