RESTORE was a partnership between the Environment Agency, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra - UK), River Restoration Centre (RRC - UK), Wetlands International (WI - Netherlands), Government Service for Land and Water Management (DLG - Netherlands), Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and Italian Centre for River Restoration (CIRF).

RESTORE was selected by the EC as one of the 7 best LIFE Information Projects in 2014.

FINAL REPORT

The European Centre for River Restoration (ECRR) supported RESTORE as a member of the Advisory Board. Read more...

Coordination of the partnership

The Environment Agency (England) was the overall project leader of RESTORE. The EA is the largest organisation in funding and delivering river restoration in England and has developed significant expertise in this field over the last 20 years. This expertise covers the breadth and depth of restoration activities from strategic planning through to the design, implementation and monitoring of restoration activities. Read more...

Northern Europe

The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) is leading in the Northern European Region part of RESTORE. It will use its technical and communications river restoration expertise to understand the needs of the Main Target Audience, implement knowledge sharing activities and events. As an associated beneficiary it will have a responsibility to share its experiences with other regions, and help to influence and shape knowledge transfer tools. Read more...

Western Europe

The River Restoration Centre (RRC) from the UK is an associated beneficiary leading in the West European Region part of RESTORE. Its technical knowledge is vital when contributing to creating technical presentations, evaluating best river restoration techniques and communicating to various stakeholders identified. Read more...

Southern Europe

The Italian Centre for River Restoration (CIRF) is leading in Southern European Region. It will use its technical and communications River Restoration expertise to understand the needs of the Main Target Audience, implement knowledge sharing activities and events. As an associated beneficiary it will have a responsibility to share its experiences with other regions, and help to influence and shape knowledge transfer tools. Read more...

Eastern Europe + Quality and Information Management

The Government Service for Land and Water Management (DLG) is an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ). Its technical knowledge and experience in the field of water management in several new and future EU Member States is vital for the provision of technical advise, reviewing technical documents, evaluating best river restoration techniques and communicating to the various stakeholders that are identified.

DLG is also the current host of the European Centre for River Restoration. Read more...

LIFE+

RESTORE is funded by the LIFE funding stream from the European Commission. LIFE is the European Union's (EU) financial instrument supporting environmental and nature conservation projects throughout the EU, as well as in some candidate, acceding and neighboring countries. Since 1992, LIFE has co-financed some 3115 projects, contributing approximately two billion Euros to the protection of the environment. Read more...

We encourage ecological river restoration in Europe through increasing the communication, dissemination and education in best practice river restoration through publications, awareness raising campaigns and events.

This increases the skills, knowledge and ability to manage, compensate, mitigate and adapt to river habitat decline. It will result in increased membership of river restoration organisations by 20% and to engagement of thousands of people.

Objective 1:     Support river restoration practices across europe

The partnership seeks to support existing and future river restoration activities across Europe, by creating

• a ‘state of the art’ overview of best practice river restoration in Europe;
• a database of current projects;
• a review of how specific projects and activities address river habitat decline 
• how river restoration projects relate to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the Habitat- and Birds Directives, the Floods Directive, etc.

Objective 2:     Build up existing river restoration network capacity

The partnership will provide a European wide forum that draws together, builds up and supports the fragmented existing and emerging river restoration networks. The partnership reviews the extent of services provided by existing river restoration networks, identifying the needs and barriers to effective network support through fact-finding activities and awareness raising workshops. 

Objective 3:     Promote effective river restoration knowledge transfer

Tools to promote knowledge transfer will be developed and used to communicate key messages to the targeted audiences, tailored to meet the needs of each European Region. Key delivery vehicles for knowledge transfer are existing river restoration networks and events; 36 will be organised in over 10 countries.

Objective 4: To establish long term river restoration knowledge sharing - AFTER LIFE+

The partnership establishes permanent capacity to support the outputs of the project for the period post 2013.

The partnersip for river restoration - denominated 'RESTORE' - is funded by the LIFE programme, which is the Euroepan Union’s funding instrument for the environment. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value.

LIFE began in 1992 and to date there have been three complete phases of the programme (LIFE I: 1992-1995, LIFE II: 1996-1999 and LIFE III: 2000-2006). During this period, LIFE has co-financed some 3104 projects across the EU, contributing approximately €2.2 billion to the protection of the environment.

Current funding phase

The current phase of the programme, LIFE+, runs from 2007-2013 and has a budget of €2.143 billion. The legal basis for LIFE+ is the Regulation (EC) No 614/2007. LIFE+ covers both the operational expenditure of DG Environment and the co-financing of projects. According to Article 6 of the LIFE+ Regulation, at least 78 percent of the LIFE+ budgetary resources must be used for project action grants (i.e. LIFE+ projects). 

During the period 2007-2013, the European Commission will launch one call for LIFE+ project proposals per year. Proposals must be eligible under one of the programme’s three components: LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity, LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance, and LIFE+ Information and Communication.

LIFE+ Information and Communication

The partnership to encourage ecologcial river restoration is funded under LIFE+ Information and Communication: this new component co-finances projects relating to communication and awareness raising campaigns on environmental, nature protection or biodiversity conservation issues, as well as projects related to forest fire prevention (awareness raising, special training). Read more...