International Commitment
MERLIN
Ecological restoration (renaturation) of freshwater ecosystems.
Europe's environment is currently in an alarming condition. There is an urgent need to revitalise damaged ecosystems across Europe through renaturation. Restoring our ecosystems in this way has the potential to boost biodiversity and combat climate change, while also benefiting society and the economy. However, our current renaturation methods are often too small-scale and fragmented, and are therefore insufficient for tackling the environmental crisis.
A total of 44 partners from across Europe are involved in the MERLIN project. These partners include universities, research institutes and conservation organisations as well as stakeholders from the business sector, government and local authorities. As a sector partner, Naturland represents the agricultural sector.
As one of four showcase projects for the EU Green Deal, just over 22 million euros are being invested into restoring rivers, lakes, peatlands and wetlands throughout Europe as part of the MERLIN project.
The MERLIN project analyses the social, economic and environmental success factors of 17 case studies. The case study findings are intended, amongst other things, to be used to shine a spotlight on freshwater renaturation as part of a modern environmental policy. Both environmental and economic factors are considered in order to strengthen the argument for implementation.
Duration: 2021 – 2025 (4 years)
Contact
European Union
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation under grant agreement No. 101036337. This document reflects the views of the author and does not reflect the views of the European Commission. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of this document, the European Commission cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions, whatever their cause.