MedWet launches a Community of Practice for restoring wetlands as part of the RESTORE4Cs project | MedWetFirst members to join the Community rep...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
First members to join the Community represent six coastal wetlands across Europe
On 28th of May in Valencia, during the General Assembly of the Horizon Europe RESTORE4Cs project, representatives of research institutions currently working in six pilot sites joined the new Community of Practice, including:
University of Bucharest – RCSES (Romania, Danube Delta)
Tour du Valat Research Institute (France, Camargue)
University of Aveiro (Portugal, Ria de Aveiro)
Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands, Oosterschelde, South-west Dutch Delta)
Klaipėda University – MRI (Lithuania, Curonian Lagoon)
University of Valencia – Cavanilles Institute (Spain, Marjal dels Moros)
During this session, the managing authority of the ‘Marjal dels Moros’ site in Valencia also adhered to the community and contributed to the first session with a presentation by Ciro Pascual (Generalitat Valenciana, Servicio de Vida Silvestre y Red Natura 2000) on the projected Master Plan for the site in Valencia together with an innovative project aiming to increase funding for restoration. The Horizon Europe SOTERIA project, presented by Gabriela Alonso from the Basque Centre for Climate Change (also a new member of the Community) intends to engage insurance companies in the management of climate risks (e.g. extreme weather events and sea level rise) to provide Nature-based Solutions for disaster-risk reduction.
Infographic showing the structure of the Community of Practice
MedWet leading the development and vision of the Community of Practice
Through the identification and sharing of successful restoration experiences, the community will encourage mutual learning and the uptake of solutions to accelerate the implementation of climate, biodiversity and water-related policies.
The birth of the community seeks to build greater support at different levels – from local to national and transnational – for wetlands, protecting their valuable ecosystem services, and broadening understanding on their potential for climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation and water safety.
As the coordinating entity, MedWet intends to extend the impact of this community to the Euro-Mediterranean region, with the support of other Ramsar Regional Initiatives, the MedWet Managers Network and other sister projects.
The development of this Community of Practice supports the implementation of Resolution XIV.17 of the Ramsar Convention on the protection, conservation, restoration, sustainable use and management of wetland ecosystems in addressing climate change, approved during the COP Ramsar 14 in 2022.
Indeed, this resolution requests MedWet ‘to facilitate the establishment of a community of practice on addressing climate change through the protection, conservation, restoration, sustainable use and management of wetland ecosystems, while simultaneously providing biodiversity and human wellbeing benefits, to facilitate global cooperation among regional initiatives and other partners and stakeholders by sharing scientific and technical support and information on accessing financial resources’.
The Horizon project RESTORE4Cs (Modelling RESTORation of wEtlands for Carbon pathways, Climate Change mitigation and adaptation, ecosystem services, and biodiversity, Co-benefits) will assess the role of restoration action on wetlands capacity in terms of climate change mitigation and a wide range of ecosystem services using an integrative socio-ecological systems approach.
Contact:
Santiago Suarez, MedWet
restore4cs@medwet.org
Attached link
https://medwet.org/2024/06/medwet-launches-a-community-of-practice-for-restoring-wetlands-as-part-of-the-restore4cs-projectTaxonomy
- Wetlands
- Wetlands