RESTORE4Cs

💧 Bridging Science and Policy for Wetland Restoration 🌱 Following the RESTORE4Cs Autumn School 2025, the focus turned to the role of policy and decision makers in discussions that are moving beyond theory to explore how data-driven tools can empower more effective policy design and implementation for wetland restoration across Europe. 🛰️ Participants were introduced to the RESTORE4Cs Interactive Platform, innovative resources designed to bridge science and governance through integrated #data, restoration potential, mitigation results from management actions and spatial analysis. Discussions provided an overview of the implementation roadmap, the mapping of EU and national policy targets, and the identification of #policy outcome indicators to assess progress and impact. 🗺️ The exchanges also underlined the importance of the  #spatial indicators’ results to guide decision-making, supporting the identification of degraded or historically lost wetlands for restoration. The Scientific Community and Policy Makers also explored how tools such as multi-criteria analysis can strengthen transparency and inclusiveness in decision-making, and how assessing social acceptance can improve the effectiveness of restoration actions. Finally, participants reflected on financing instruments as essential mechanisms to enable and scale up restoration efforts. 🦩 The group had the chance to visit Parque del Guadalhorce, where theory meets practice. The visit explored the history and restoration measures implemented in the area and examined the relationship between Greenhouse Gas dynamics and #wetland ecosystems and restoration actions, illustrating how scientific insights translate into on-the-ground management and policy applications. By linking scientific evidence with governance needs, RESTORE4Cs’ tools and outcomes are helping to build the foundations for more resilient, inclusive and sustainable wetland policies — supporting Europe’s transition towards climate neutrality and biodiversity recovery. 📣 Stay tuned! #Restore4Cs #ETCUMA #WetlandRestoration #EUfunded #Biodiversity #Resilience #NatureBasedSolutions

🌿 Sharing ALFAwetlands - Wetlands Restoration for the future Insights from RESTORE4Cs Autumn School! 🍂 On November 3rd, Annika Tienhaara from ALFAwetlands/Natural Resources Institute Finland / Luonnonvarakeskus joined the RESTORE4Cs Autumn School, presenting results from our citizens’ survey: 📊 “Valuing Wetland Restoration: A Choice Experiment on Citizens' Preferences Across Six EU Countries.” It was a pleasure to present alongside representatives from our sister projects: RESTORE4Cs, REWET, WET HORIZONS and Society of Wetland Scientists, exchanging valuable perspectives on public engagement in wetland restoration. ALFAwetlands survey included two pilot studies conducted in early 2025 to refine the questionnaire and optimise the experiment design, followed by the main data collection in April–May 2025. The results informed a latent class model revealing that: ✅ ~75% of respondents support wetland restoration 🔹 Class 1: Pro-environment (55.6%) 🔹 Class 2: Disengaged Sceptics (18%) 🔹 Class 3: Cost-sensitives (17.7%) 🔹 Class 4: Non-supporters (8.7%) Participants at Restore4Cs school showed great interest in the presentation as well as in comparing data across countries, understanding public perceptions of restoration, and exploring the costs of non-restoration (continued environmental degradation). The ALFAwetlands - Wetlands Restoration for the future research team is now finalizing the full analysis and preparing a scientific article — as well as launching a new landowners’ survey. 👉 Follow ALFAwetlands to stay updated on the latest findings and publications ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eWJyZfFN #ALFAwetlands #Restore4Cs #WetlandRestoration #RestorationForFuture #HorizonEU #Survey #RestorationCost #EnvironmentalResearch

Sneak Data Preview! Pan-European Layer on Coastal Wetland Use Intensity…available soon! #Wetlands are at the heart of Europe’s environmental ambitions — from #climate neutrality and #biodiversity conservation to flood regulation, coastal protection and pollution control. But understanding how these ecosystems are actually used and impacted has always been a challenge. That’s where a new, pan-European dataset comes in. Developed by Remote Sensing Solutions GmbH within the Horizon Europe RESTORE4Cs project, this dataset offers the first #WetlandUseIntensity layer for European coastal wetlands for the year 2023 — providing a data-driven look at how intensively these fragile areas are being used. 🛰️ How it works: Using Sentinel-2 time series and a wetland-adapted version of the Mean Absolute Spectral Dynamics (MASD) algorithm (Franke et al., 2012), we quantify the magnitude of change in spectral properties over a growing season. By combining these insights with Sentinel-1-based surface water dynamics, the dataset provides a much richer picture of wetland conditions and threads than traditional land use maps. 🗺️ What it shows: - Intensively used wetland areas (e.g. crop cultivation, peat extraction, burned wetlands) - Moderately/Extensively used areas (e.g. grazing lands, low frequency mowing) - Natural and semi-natural wetlands, including regularly inundated area We will provide this data set within four different reference scenarios in order to complement these existing efforts: 1.     European Environment Agency's Extended Wetland Ecosystem Layer ETC-UMA 2.     The European Wetland Map (EWM) from our sister project ALFAwetlands - Wetlands Restoration for the future 3.     Coastal #Ramsar sites 4.     Potential Wetlands from our project partner Tour du Valat 💡 Why it matters: This new perspective on wetland dynamics can help: - Detect pressures from agricultural and land-use activities - Prioritize restoration and conservation efforts - Monitor the effectiveness of EU wetland, peatland and restoration policies over time This data set is a powerful step towards understanding how human and natural processes interact in Europe’s coastal zones — and how we can better protect these critical ecosystems. Follow us — full dataset and technical documentation coming soon! #EUData #Wetlands #Peatlands #Copernicus #ClimateAction #Biodiversity #NatureRestoration

🍁 Kick-off of the Restore4Cs Autumn School 💧 From 3 to 6 November, the Autumn School 2025: “Modelling, Policy and Practice for Restored and Resilient Coastline” is taking place at ETC-UMA premises in Málaga, Spain! This training brings the Scientific Community as well as Decision and Policy Makers across Europe and beyond to advance knowledge on #coastal wetland restoration and its role in addressing climate and biodiversity challenges. The 4 days starts with the science training programme for the Scientific Community on coastal wetland ecosystems, showcasing their ecological importance and vulnerability. Through case studies of historical restoration initiatives, participants will gain a foundational understanding of the challenges and opportunities in wetland conservation.The event also features contributions from related EU projects and networks, including: 💧 ALFAWetlands – “Valuing Wetland Restoration: Citizens' Preferences Across Six EU Countries” 💭 WET HORIZONS – “Citizen Voices in Wetland Restoration” 🔬 Society of Wetland Scientists – European Chapter A promising start to a week of immersive policy and science-based training and collaborative learning, aimed at advancing more resilient and sustainable #wetland ecosystems throughout Europe. The week concludes with a field visit to a restored coastal wetland near the city where participants will explore real-world restoration and management approaches, gaining insights into the science behind greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting. The event is organized by LifeWatch ERIC with the support of partners within the framework of the RESTORE4Cs project, funded by the European Union. 🔗 Full programme and details: https://lnkd.in/dxSjSPwu #Restore4Cs #ETCUMA #WetlandRestoration #EUfunded #Biodiversity #Resilience #NatureBasedSolutions