Project title: LIFE2RIVERS – Stimulating rivers restoration to enhance the quality of life

Slovenian title: LIFE2RIVERS – Spodbujanje obnove rek za izboljšanje kakovosti življenja

Acronym: LIFE23-GIE-SI-LIFE2RIVERS

Project number: 101148260

Public call: LIFE-2023-SAP-ENV

Project duration: 2. 9. 2024–1. 9. 2028 (48 months)

Total budget: 2.245.101 EUR

Co-financing: EU LIFE, Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy

EU contribution: 60 % eligible costs (maximum 1.347.061 EUR)

Despite the ambitious goals of water-related legislation and policies, traditional engineering approaches, urbanization, agriculture, and excessive water use continue to degrade river ecosystem functions and cause biodiversity loss, leading to a decline in the quality of ecosystem services for people. During recent catastrophic events in Slovenia, we have seen that engineering approaches alone are often insufficient to prevent floods resulting from climate change and reckless interventions in watercourses. Alternative solutions are needed. The LIFE2RIVERS project guides us toward a transformation in how we perceive, manage, and protect Slovenian rivers. The project aims to shift towards co-creative river stewardship, a collaborative approach that emphasizes shared responsibility for river conservation and restoration while involving a wide range of stakeholders in planning and implementing solutions. We also promote the adoption of nature-based solutions (NbS) to address societal challenges related to rivers.

Through project activities, we will support the goals of the European Green Deal, the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Water Framework Directive, the Nature Restoration Regulation, and all related legislation.

We will strengthen interdisciplinary knowledge exchange by organizing training sessions for designers and field practitioners, as well as online workshops on nature-based solutions and river ecosystem restoration. Additionally, we will host an international summer school for students, an international symposium, and prepare a handbook on co-creative river stewardship. By conducting multiple field excursions and establishing an innovative collaboration model between the government, independent experts, and the private sector, we will set professional and ethical standards for river management. This initiative will build on knowledge and experiences from ecosystem-based approaches and nature-based solutions for water management. To enhance understanding and trust in river restoration and nature-based solutions, we will increase public awareness and engagement by demonstrating the co-creative stewardship process in the Pšata River basin, conducting field workshops as part of the new EcoAdventures educational program, and distributing a thematic board game to all Slovenian primary and secondary schools.