River restoration experiences in Greece and Cyprus: Special considerations for Eastern Mediterranean rivers

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1 River restoration experiences in Greece and Cyprus: Special considerations for Eastern Mediterranean rivers Hellenic Centre for Marine Research Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters Stamatis Zogaris, Iakovos Tziortzis, Nikos Skoulikidis, Elias Dimitriou

2 Temperate Montane and Oro- Mediterranean Peninsulas Temperate Steppe and Oro-Mediterranean Micro-islands Semi-arid Mediterranean Mega-island Arid Mediterranean

3 Complex and understudied aquatic biodiversity

4 Why restoration is important? - WFD measures demand it. - Habitats Directive measures demand it. - Water managing and engineering and mitigation measures promote it. BUT restoration is not in the culture Anthropocentric approaches traditionally dominate.

5 History Experiences of policy-relevant river restoration in two Eastern Mediterranean EU states show that there is a lack of serious effort in design and applications within river corridors. Applications promoted through EU-funded LIFE projects dominate initiatives. Ecological restoration of small rivers, especially naturally or artificially intermittent lotic systems, has seriously lagged behind. Restoration conservation science baselines/planning Past efforts have focused on lentic waters and protected areas; most successful works centering on bird habitat conservation. Unfortunately, the EU WFD measures for river ecosystem recovery are usually poorly defined, poorly funded and not backed by integrative adaptive management strategies. Inventory & monitoring baselines

6 Rivers have many hydromorphological problems and opportunities for restoration

7 Greece: Small dams/ Hydro-electric development challenges Acheloos river:.will it become a river machine? Map contributors: A. Mentzafou, V. Markogianni, Ch. Papadaki.

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9 What do we want? Unfortunately, the EU WFD measures for river ecosystem recovery are usually poorly defined, poorly funded and not backed by integrative adaptive management strategies. There is usually a lack of biodiversity conservation synergy in the EU WFD water body restoration proposals despite the integrative and ecosystemic premises in the spirit of the WFD.

10 State of Inland Waters Restoration in Greece Major restoration projects 1.Amvrakikos 2.Prespa 3.Kotychi 4.Karla 5.Schinias 6.Nestos 7. Evros 3 5 Map contributor: Y. Chatzinikolaou

11 Amvrakikos Gulf restoration

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14 Republic of Cyprus EU Member since 2004

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18 Nature opportunity approach in Cyprus: combining flow demands with restoration actions Collaboration with Republic of Cyprus Water Development Department

19 Barriers to Eels in Cyprus

20 GREECE S FIRST ECOLOGICAL FLOW PROJECT:

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22 Research streams Map the waters! Typology and cartography, temporary waters and small waters neglected! Holistic approaches: river corridors, riparian areas, etc. Integrate nature conservation relevance into management Nature Opportunity Approach for demonstration and adaptive management Integrate WFD and Habitat Directive demands Reference baselines Focus on natural history approaches: investigate type-specific reference conditions, especially for natural state baselines (e.g. perennial vs. intermittent states). Use flag-ships restore natural communities Identify vulnerable species/ species assemblages/ community types Identify where fish species may have become extinct and reintroduce them Engage Society Citizen science Urban/ Peri-Urban Bring restoration OUT to the Media Practice effective interpretation / communication

23 Thank You! We welcome collaboration in both Greece and Cyprus Hellenic Centre for Marine Research Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters