Digging up trees and digging more drains isn't preventing floods.

In his latest Guardian article, George Monbiot investigates a 'major research programme, which produced the following astonishing results: water sinks into the soil under trees at 67 times the rate at which it sinks into the soil under grass. The roots of the trees provide channels down which the water flows, deep into the ground. The soil there becomes a sponge, a reservoir which sucks up water and then releases it slowly.'

REstoring rivers FOR effective catchment Management (REFORM) is a 4-yr large integrated research project, involving 25 partners (including the Environment Agency) from 14 countries. The overall aim of REFORM is to provide a framework for improving the success of hydromorphological restoration measures to reach, in a cost-effective manner, target ecological status or potential of rivers as required by the EU Water Framework Directive.

RESTORE's Rivers by Design guide to river restoration for land-use professionals has had a few minor changes, including an update to the table showing the benefits of river restoration in the planning and development process.

The guide shows the crucial role planners, architects and developers the crucial role they can play in river restoratation. The document explains the contexty and need for river restoration and provides guidance on planing projects to make sure sustainable development is achieved.

More than a project report, the RESTORE Layman’s Report is an agenda setting document highlighting the achievements of RESTORE, while also looking beyond RESTORE and stressing the key policy and technical challenges that still need to be overcome to take river restoration forward. The report will provide a direction for future activities in the hope that these will be taken up by policy makers and river basin managers.

Download report: RESTORE Layman’s Report

From Britain to the Czech Republic, European nations have been restoring rivers to their natural state — taking down dams, removing levees, and reviving floodplains. For a continent that long viewed rivers as little more than shipping canals and sewers, it is a striking change.

by fred pearce

Following our Final conference Fred Pearce a key note speak has published his thoughts: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/a_successful_push_to_restore_europes_long-abused_rivers/2718/