4th Ecrr International Conference on River Restoration - Venice

[i]First call[/i] 16 – 21 June 2008 Venezia, Italy River Restoration is a challenging topic and involves a wide range of themes concerning planning strategy, implementation and project appraisal for a number of different types of river systems including upland, lowland and urban rivers. Topic areas addressed include hydrology, geomorphology, ecology and economics as, to be successful, restoration of freshwater ecosystems must incorporate all of these subjects within a holistic framework. In the last decade river restoration projects, aimed at enhancing degraded river habitats and improving the wider river landscape, have increased. Each of such projects extends our knowledge of the restoration process, whether it be from a planning, ecological, hydrological or engineering point of view. Moreover, several experiences claim that River Restoration can be the correct approach to face the increasingly challenging threat of flood hazards (and associated land-sliding phenomena). When risk is considered, together with nature conservation, recreation, water quality, River Restoration proves to be not only desirable, but even economically rewarding, despite the efforts it may require in terms of changing land-use patterns and socio-economic setting. Introducing the term and concept of River Restoration at the policy level would bring into the discussion the worldwide experience of River Restoration, with its ideas, knowledge from applied research, methodologies and techniques. The European Centre for River Restoration (ECRR) wishes to collaborate with organizations and individuals operating in River Restoration related sectors and can profitably share experiences and create synergies, thus increasing the opportunities for River Restoration at a global scale. Please, communicate to the ECRR Secretariat as soon as possible your potential interest in participating and the theme(s) in which you would like to provide a contribution. Contact information: Francesco Pra Levis CIRF (Centro Italiano per la Riqualificazione Fluviale) ECRR (European Centre for River Restoration) Viale Garibaldi 44/A 30173 Mestre (Venice) ITALY Telephone: +39 041615410 Fax: +39 041615410 Website: http://www.ecrr.org E-mail: [url=mailto:ecrr@cirf.org]ecrr@cirf.org[/url]