Restoration of Free-Flowing Rivers Conference

On October 8 2025, the Restoration of Free-Flowing Rivers Conference - a partnership between DANUBE4all, the LIFE Living Rivers project and Open Rivers Programme - was held at the Water Research Institute (VÚVH) in Bratislava, Slovakia. The event aimed to bring together experts from various fields—research, water management, nature conservation, and public administration—to present activities, projects, and experiences that demonstrate how free-flowing rivers can be restored in practice and their natural functioning improved.

Photo Credits: (L-R) Katarina Mravcova (VÚVH), WWF Slovakia

An international insight to local issues

The conference brought together experts from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and the Netherlands. Their contributions were united by a common goal—to improve the natural functioning of rivers. Foreign guests demonstrated how to approach river continuity assessment, sediment management in the Danube basin, and the mapping of migration barriers. The contributions of domestic speakers were supplemented by practical field demonstrations and experiences with the implementation of revitalization measures.

Contributions also touched on topics that are becoming increasingly important in the context of the European Nature Restoration Regulation – removing barriers, strengthening natural processes in the landscape, adapting to climate change, and linking river restoration with biodiversity conservation.

Focus on Slovak rivers

Partners of the LIFE Living Rivers project presented several specific outputs at the event that are directly linked to the restoration of Slovak watercourses.

Marcell Szabó-Mészáros (BME) presented activities and results from DANUBE4all as well as collated datasets from Danube Sediment and other projects and organisation, in order to illustrate the current status of river connectivity throughout the Danube River Basin. Assessing connectivity through the basin is a key research priority of the DANUBE4all project. DANUBE4all lead coordinator Prof. Helmut Habersack presented results and experience relating to sediment continuity and sediment management measures along the Danube.

L: Data on barriers - from a presentation by Marcell Szabó-Mészáros, BME. R: Photo courtesy of WWF SK.

Katarína Mravcová (VÚVH) presented the results of mapping and prioritizing barriers in pilot river basins in Slovakia. The aim of this effort is to create a database of significant transverse migration barriers on watercourses, assess their importance, and determine those that can be safely removed. It is a key step towards meeting the EU's goal of restoring 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers by 2030.

Katarína Butkovská (WWF Slovakia) explained how the EU Nature Restoration Regulation is being implemented in practice. She showed that river restoration is not only an environmental process, but also a social and economic one – it helps mitigate the effects of extreme weather, improves water availability, and benefits local communities. However, it is necessary to involve all stakeholders, including civil society, in the planning process.

L-R: Photos courtesy of Katarina Mravcova (VUVH), WWF SK

Experts from the Slovak University of Technology were also present – Andrej Škrinár showed that river revitalization is more than just a technical intervention. It is a complex process that takes into account water flow, sediment transport, the shape of the riverbed, and the needs of aquatic organisms. Removing barriers without changing the overall morphology of the river may not bring about the desired effect of improving the condition of ecosystems.

During the discussions, it was noted that even minor interventions can have a positive impact on restoring life to the river if they are part of a well-designed restoration plan.

Common goal: restoring free-flowing rivers

The Bratislava conference demonstrated that river restoration is more than just an environmental issue—it is a matter of maintaining a healthy landscape, adapting to climate change, and promotingsustainable water management. A landscape where rivers flow freely is more resilient, healthier, and provides more benefits for both nature and people.

The event was organized by the LIFE Living Rivers, DANUBE4all and Open Rivers Programme, which are working together to restore rivers as the living arteries of the landscape.

All presentations can be downloaded here.

For further information/resources visit WWF SK.