MERLIN Podcast: Bringing Europe’s freshwaters back to life
Europe’s freshwaters are in an alarming state. Water pollution, habitat destruction and the ongoing effects of climate change have caused significant biodiversity loss and ecological decline across the continent. There is a pressing need for major freshwater restoration projects which tackle these declines and bring rivers, streams, peatlands and wetlands back to life.
MERLIN is a major European Union funded project which is investing millions of Euros to help mainstream freshwater restoration across the continent over the coming years. This podcast follows the MERLIN project in this journey. It offers a behind the scenes look at some of the continent’s most ambitious freshwater restoration projects carried out through cutting-edge aquatic science and conservation.
- Update frequency
- every 85 days
- Average duration
- 36 minutes
- Episodes
- 12
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
How nature-based solutions can support people and nature in freshwater restoration
Harnessing the potential of natural processes in freshwater restoration can create significant ecological, social and economic benefits, according to a major new report.
Researchers from the MERLIN p…
Communicating why freshwater restoration is vital
Restoring our natural ecosystems is a task that is never really finished: science progresses; governments change; technology advances; society shifts; funding pots appear and disappear. And all the t…
Restoring Europe's landscapes through the Green Deal and Nature Restoration Law
In this podcast we take a behind the scenes look at environmental restoration in Europe on the cusp of what will likely prove to be a transformative year. First, we find out about the EU’s big enviro…
Why community matters to freshwater restoration
It's increasingly recognised that restoring damaged ecosystems is not only about improving habitats for wildlife, it is also vital to consider the needs of the people who live and work in a restorati…
Stories from the water’s edge: getting freshwater restoration done in Europe
This is a podcast telling stories about how restoration gets done across Europe. First we hear from Joshua Royte, a conservation scientist working for the Nature Conservancy in the USA. Josh has led …
Learning from the river: restoring the Danube
Join us on the banks of the Danube River in Austria to hear how ambitious restoration projects are helping free the river from human alterations. We meet Robert Tögel and Alice Kaufmann from viadonau…
Water, climate and farming: making space for stream restoration in Portugal
In this episode we explore the issues around stream restoration in the Sorraia catchment in Central Portugal. Restoration of the Sorraia river needs to be able to navigate the needs of intensive agri…
How economic thinking can help us restore Europe's freshwaters
In October 2023, the WWF released a major report stating that freshwater has long been significantly undervalued in global economies, leading to widespread environmental costs. The report estimates t…
Mainstreaming freshwater nature-based solutions across economic sectors
Nature-based solutions are a hot topic right now. So-called 'NbS' are environmental management approaches that use natural processes to help tackle socio-environmental challenges such as climate chan…
Restoring Europe's peatlands and wetlands
Freshwater Restoration in Europe: Transformation, Disruption and Inspiration
This episode explores the big ideas that are shaping how ambitious freshwater restoration projects are being carried out across Europe. From dam removal to floodplain restoration, the European Union …
Introducing MERLIN - Large river and floodplain restoration on the Rhine Delta
In July 2022 podcast host Rob St John travelled to the Netherlands to meet MERLIN practitioners working on the project’s large river restoration sites.
Over a number of hot, sunny days the team explo…