As part of our communication efforts at our final all-partner meeting held in Ghent in March 2026, we recorded a selection of the presentations delivered during the event to make them available on YouTube. Find the first one here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTR...

MERLIN all-partner meeting 2026 | Place-based learning from 18 Case Studies – goals and impacts

YouTube video by MERLIN project

youtube.com

Hutton at the ESP Europe 2026 tinyurl.com/398b7593 - Simone Martino, Kirsty Blackstock, Kerry Waylen (SEGS) & Alessandro Gimona (ICS) - presenting on Nature-based Solutions, justice, transformation, natural capital & participatory valuation. Insights from ScotGov and Horizon projects. #esp2026

Last week at the 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in Prague, our parters from @huttonsegs.bsky.social, @deltares.bsky.social and @boku-ihg.bsky.social presented the MERLIN project during three sessions (B2, T14f, and T14g): www.espconference.org/europe2026/p... #ESP26Europe

A new policy brief was published in collaboration between SpongeWorks, SpongeScapes, @futurelakes.bsky.social, @merlin-project.bsky.social, and SpongeBoost 💧📝 Learn how sponge landscapes can support biodiversity and prevent future climate issues as part of the EWRS: zenodo.org/records/1885...

The projects @merlin-project.bsky.social, SpongeWorks, SpongeScapes, and @waterlandsh2020.bsky.social hosted a panel discussion on mainstream freshwater restoration💧 🎧 If you missed out, listen to the podcast here: project-merlin.eu/podcasts.html

MERLIN project@merlin-project.bsky.social · 4mo ago

We are still releasing some podcasts! This week's episode 🎙️ 𝗘𝗣.𝟭𝟱 – 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁? shares key insights from the panel discussion at our policy event held in Brussels in March 2026. 🔗 Tune in here: project-merlin.eu/podcasts.html

🌊 What does transformational freshwater restoration actually look like on the ground – and in policy? 🗺️ We look back at what the @merlin-project.bsky.social has acheived, and ask what comes next. freshwaterblog.net/2026/04/28/f...

Four years, 18 sites, one mission: bringing Europe’s freshwaters back to life

Wildflowers on the banks of the Emscher River in Germany. Image: MERLIN On the banks of the Emscher River in Germany, wildflower meadows now bloom where raw sewage once flowed. Along the floodplain…

freshwaterblog.net

To those seeking to mobilise private or blended finance alongside public support in restoration projects: this briefing helps you understand how investors assess risk, structure, and impact. Find it on our website: project-merlin.eu/files/merlin...

We are still releasing some podcasts! This week's episode 🎙️ 𝗘𝗣.𝟭𝟱 – 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁? shares key insights from the panel discussion at our policy event held in Brussels in March 2026. 🔗 Tune in here: project-merlin.eu/podcasts.html

🌊 Last month, WaterLANDS contributed to a policy event in Brussels on water resilience, alongside fellow restoration projects, coinciding with the final meeting of @merlin-project.bsky.social 🔗Read more on the event here: waterlands.eu/news-and-eve... #NatureRestoration #WaterResilience #wetlands

Water Resilience Policy Event in Brussels with MERLIN

WaterLANDS is an EU-funded project that will restore wetland sites across Europe and upscale wetland restoration for sustainable ecosystems, communities and economies.

waterlands.eu

This policy brief explores the opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming nature-based approaches across all economic sectors, highlighting the need to strengthen coordination and collaboration to achieve freshwater restoration. 🔗 Download here: project-merlin.eu/policy-brief...

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝟰 is online! You will learn how the MERLIN Upscaling Workflow and the web app can be used to plan, assess and prioritise freshwater restoration and Nature-based Solutions across Europe under the #NatureRestorationRegulation. 🔗 Check it out on the MERLIN Academy: merlinacademy.thinkific.com

The revision of the #WaterFrameworkDirective should not weaken existing environmental protections. Instead, it should focus on improving implementation and enforcement to ensure all EU waters reach good ecological status. 🔗 Feedback open until 𝟭𝟰 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet...

Our final meeting was held in Ghent on March 11-12, marking the culmination of five years of collaboration, ambition, and shared purpose. We share with you some of the MERLIN outcomes, which will help inform and support the implementation of the #NRR. Available at: project-merlin.eu/deliverables...

Where will we go from here?

YouTube video by MERLIN project

youtu.be

Who else joined the #WorldWaterRun yesterday to celebrate #WorldWaterDay? 😊 No need to run... We walked 13 km along the Schwechat, starting in Baden, Austria, and following the river into the Helenental. It's a tributary of the Danube, and such a beautiful place to spend the day outdoors.

One of the highlights of the policy event in Brussels co-organised with #SpongeWorks, #SpongeScapes, and @waterlandsh2020.bsky.social, was bringing forward the voices of practitioners. Experiences, challenges, solutions and key policy messages are summarised in this video: youtu.be/8AbxtirFuXk?...

Restoring Nature | Voices from Practice

YouTube video by MERLIN project

youtu.be

At our joint policy event in Brussels we shared key learnings to help shape the implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation. In this video, @danielheringude.bsky.social highlights MERLIN's recommendations. 🔗 You can also read the full post on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

MERLIN recommendations for the Nature Restoration Regulation

YouTube video by MERLIN project

youtu.be

‪ 🌳 Do you want to contribute to research on how humans perceive forests? Take this quick, anonymous 10-min survey 🌲 👉 www.biodiful.org#/forest This will help us explore how people experience forest biodiversity! Please share on 🦋 & tag @biodiful.bsky.social to reach more participants 🙏💚 🌐🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪

💧 Who will pay for Europe’s freshwater restoration? At the final events, the @merlin-project.bsky.social discussed how to finance large-scale restoration – from CAP funding and private finance to value chains for restoration. Key takeaway: Europe must increase investment in freshwater restoration.

I am happy to hear that the final meeting of @merlin-project.bsky.social is going well in Ghent today (and sorry not to be there!). A key insight is that responding to the climate & biodiversity emergencies involve partnerships across sectors– people drive #Nature-based Solutions."

Today we've been discussing big issues in the science and policy of freshwater restoration with @merlin-project.bsky.social in Brussels.

A dreamy PhD position in Scotland, combining river restoration and Nature-based Solutions: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Restoring Rivers for Multi-Benefit Outcomes: From Biodiversity to Flood Resilience at University of Stirling on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Restoring Rivers for Multi-Benefit Outcomes: From Biodiversity to Flood Resilience at University of Stirling, listed on FindAPhD.com

findaphd.com

🌊 Europe's rivers & wetlands are among its most damaged ecosystems – shaped by decades of drainage, straightening & pollution. 🔬 Two new studies from the @merlin-project.bsky.social project ask: what actually works in freshwater restoration, and is EU farming policy helping?

Ellis Penning taking part in a panel discussion today on the #WaterResilienceStrategy at the 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 in Brussels.

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...

(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 ...

researchgate.net

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...

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...

natureconservation.pensoft.net

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

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...

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...

natureconservation.pensoft.net

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

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

Videos

danubelifelines.eu

🌍 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

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…

freshwaterblog.net