MERLIN project

(PDF) Critical Comments on the 2025 Draft EIA for the Buk Bijela Hydropower Plant Prepared by PDF | The following report is an evaluation of the ecological impacts of the planned Buk Bijela hydropower plant (BBHP) in the upper Drina River, in... | Find, read and cite all the research you need ...

Petition to support the 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 of the Buk Bijela Environmental Impact Assessment, which seriously underestimates the project's ecological impacts.

🔗 Full review: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

✍️ Sign here by 𝟬𝟰.𝟬𝟯.𝟮𝟲 at 12:00 (noon): docs.google.com/forms/d/1uDh...

Does the Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027 support the restoration of freshwater ecosystems? The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a key lever to support the transition towards sustainable agricultural production in Europe. However, successive reforms have been incremental and modest with r...

How is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023–2027 supporting the restoration of freshwater ecosystems? Read about the choices made by the EU Member States in their CAP Strategic Plans: natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/1488...

Final Call 🚨 Proposals for the 15th European Conference on Ecological Restoration to submit latest on March 1st: sere2026.sciencesconf.org/resource/pag...

Building blocks for upscaling freshwater ecosystem restoration: Place-based strategies for a transdisciplinary challenge Freshwater ecosystems are vital for biodiversity and human well-being, but remain amongst the most degraded globally. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer a promising pathway to restoration, yet impleme...

Looking for practice-informed guidance for embedding restoration in complex social-ecological systems? This paper identifies key factors enabling the systemic upscaling of freshwater restoration through Nature-based Solutions across Europe: natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/1489...

As we prepare everything for the upcoming meeting in Belgium, we're also keeping an eye on the #WorldWaterRun taking place on World Water Day, 22 March. It's a great opportunity to run along your closest river or... if you have knee problems, to walk instead 😉

🔗 More info here: www.runblue.org

Videos

We’ve been collaborating with @danubelifelines.bsky.social to create a series of short videos about river ecology. These are the #FridayFacts and you can find the whole series here: danubelifelines.eu/news/videos

Saving Europe’s freshwaters means scaling up restoration – and how we pay for it New approaches are needed to fund, plan and carry out freshwater restoration in landscapes across Europe. Image: Renato Dehnhardt | Pexels Creative Commons Across Europe, rivers, wetlands and flood…

🌍 Europe’s freshwaters are in crisis – and small projects won’t fix them

💧 Why we need to scale up freshwater restoration and rethink how we fund it

🗺️ From local pilots ➡️ continent-wide action

🔗 freshwaterblog.net/2026/02/17/s...

@merlin-project.bsky.social

We've got some news! At the 𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗡 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆, we have been working on translations of our Learning Modules to expand their accessibility.

🔗 Module 2 is now available with German 🇩🇪, French 🇫🇷, and Spanish 🇪🇸 subtitles: merlinacademy.thinkific.com

Other modules will follow soon.

Eawag 2-year postdoc fellowship in Switzerland. Funding for Independent projects hosted in one of the research departments… come join us in Switzerland 🇨🇭! apply.refline.ch/673277/1335/...

Hands Off Nature – Defend Europe’s Forests, Rivers & Wildlife Stop the dismantling of European environmental protections. Stand up for forests, wildlife, clean air, and safe water - our nature depends on it.

A new petition calls on European leaders to defend the laws that protect people and nature, not bow to polluters and vested interests: handsoffnature.eu?utm=.share.c...

Signing will take you less than 1 minute.

Make a difference!
Join the dynamic and successful NPAP team, aiming for #HighNatureLowCarbon
Submit by 1/3/26
£41K to over £44K
swyddi.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/vacancyinfor....
Welsh verbal skills required to deal with our valued partners.
@natreswales.bsky.social
#GreenJobs #jobs #Wales #environment

Join us for the virtual launch of “Wetlands in a Changing Climate: Restoring Coasts and Floodplains”, a new Special Issue in Pensoft Publishers’ open-access journal Nature Conservation
📅 26 February 2026
🕑 10:30–12:00 CET
💻 Online
✍️ Learn more and register: events.hifis.net/event/3409

Giving rivers room to move, can benefit people and nature.
 
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme floods, rethinking our approach to managing floodplain rivers has never been more urgent.
 
floodplain river systems are among the most valuable ecosystems.

#rivers

How can restoration projects attract broader support and financing? This briefing identifies three key priorities and provides insights on how policymakers can catalyse this process: project-merlin.eu/policy-brief...

– The Green Deal Restoration Cluster #EUGreenDeal

#damremoval #riverrestoration #deba #soraluze #spain #basquecountry | MERLIN Arturo Elosegi from University of Basque Country represented MERLIN at the 𝗗𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 webinar today. In the Basque Country, small dams increase flood risk, but it has...

Arturo Elosegi from University of Basque Country represented MERLIN at the 𝗗𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 webinar today and we are very proud to share his story. Read the latest update of our Case Study 02 on our LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Too few characters here..

Freshwater ecosystems are critical for Europe. They underpin biodiversity, water security, flood protection, climate mitigation and public wellbeing, yet are among the most degraded ecosystems in the EU. This makes scaling up restoration urgent – here's how: project-merlin.eu/deliverables...

Progress in current restoration efforts remains too slow, small-scale, and fragmented. This brief calls for bold, coordinated action that aligns with EU policy goals and delivers lasting benefits for nature, climate, and society: project-merlin.eu/policy-brief...

Bringing Europe’s freshwaters back to life through Nature-based Solutions A Swedish river inhabited by beavers, monitored as part of the MERLIN project. Image: MERLIN Europe’s rivers, streams, floodplains, and wetlands are among the continent’s most valuable natural asse…

🌊 Europe’s freshwaters are at a crossroads
🌿 @merlin-project.bsky.social shows Nature-based Solutions deliver real results
📊 Evidence + scale are key
🚀 Time for bold freshwater restoration

freshwaterblog.net/2026/02/03/b...

YouTube video by MERLIN project MERLIN | World Wetlands Day

On #WorldWetlandsDay, we put together a short video showcasing the work MERLIN has done over the years. Watch it here for the latest updates: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QGL...

We hope you enjoy it!

Barrier Removal for Flood Prevention and Safety Webinar Dam Removal for Flood Prevention and Safety Webinar

Our colleague Arturo Elosegi will present lessons learned from the MERLIN project in the Basque Country: removing physical, social, and psychological barriers to restore river connectivity. Don't miss it!

📅 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟭, 𝟭𝟱:𝟬𝟬-𝟭𝟲:𝟯𝟬 𝗖𝗘𝗧
🔗 Registration link: damremoval.eu/flood_webinar/

Registration closing this Friday!

Pleased that our Policy Forum in Science (www.science.org/stoken/autho...) has been nominated for the Frontiers Planet Prize. As the national nomination is mainly a national issue, there is only a press release in German: www.bbaw.de/presse/press....

The Finnish Peatland Society has published the programme of its Peatland Day (Suopäivä) in Helsinki on 5 February. Have a look and register, there are still a few seats available: www.suoseura.fi/2026/01/21/s... #peatlands #peat #finland #suo #turve

FIRNS Project: Biodiversity crediting for Peatlands and Woodlands | IUCN UK Peatland Programme Biodiversity credits offer a way to quantify and finance nature restoration efforts by linking biodiversity improvements to structured credit markets.

The Peatland Code are looking for #biodiversity data collected from intact and restored #peatlands. If you have any survey data of vegetation, invertebrates/arthropods or birds please get in touch via peatlandcode@iucn.org.uk!

🔗 More info: www.iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org/firns-projec...

Wind and solar overtook fossil fuels for EU power generation in 2025, report finds Researchers say event described as ‘major tipping point’ for clean energy in era of destabilised politics

Great news!

2025 saw renewables take over fossil fuels as the main source of power in the EU: 'A major tipping point' 🌍 💚

Fish are flooding back into Toronto’s Don River This month, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority shared its findings from the Don River in 2025, which included documenting over 20 fish species. For the first time since 2012, an Atlantic Salmon...

The Don River was once so polluted with waste, garbage + chemicals that it caught on fire. The water itself, which flows towards Lake Ontario, was so inhospitable that it hosted life’s very antithesis. Now, researchers are starting to see a rebirth. For @nationalobserver.com

We are currently looking for a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in community ecology to work in the Arthropods Core Project of the Biodiversity Exploratories @bexplo.bsky.social

Reposting is much appreciated for widest reach! Thanks.

More information here:
www.lss.ls.tum.de/fileadmin/w0...

Nature-based solutions can tackle climate change, biodiversity loss & pollution together. A new infographic funded by @umweltbundesamt.bsky.social shows how NbS can act as systemic solutions when supported by inclusive governance and equity.
👉 Find out more: www.ecologic.eu/20299

🌍 Applying this framework to 18 freshwater restoration case studies across Europe — each guided by the IUCN Global Standard for NbS — we demonstrate how diverse and heterogeneous data can be synthesised into coherent, actionable evidence.

📄 Another week, another Policy Brief!

This Policy Brief presents a 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 that captures their environmental and socio-economic performance across broad sustainable-development objectives and major economic sectors: project-merlin.eu/policy-brief...