The RESTORE4Cs Spatial Decision-Support Toolbox that will help prioritise coastal wetlands restoration in Europe

RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief 10

The collection of multi-language Policy Briefs from the RESTORE4Cs Project (https://www.restore4cs.eu/resources/policy-briefs), provides best practices and science-based knowledge on European coastal wetlands restoration, gathered across 6 case studies and over three years of project.

Policy Brief #10 supports the prioritisation of coastal wetland restoration in Europe, by providing a Spatial Decision-Support Toolbox that can inform decisions and help develop well-defined restoration measures.

In fact, what is essential in order to prioritise wetlands as restoration objectives, is spatially explicit information about their status, as requested under the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR). The Toolbox offers a harmonised, science-based, user-friendly solution, that integrates ecological, climatic, and socio-economic data.

Through the use of this Toolbox, consisting of a geo-analytical platform accessible online, it will be easier to identify areas where restoration is most needed, and to develop replicable and spatially explicit methods for resource allocation.

To read more details about this tools, and the recommendations for Policy Makers, download the full document at this link: https://www.restore4cs.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EN_Policy-Brief-10-v4_Final.pdf

Virtual Research Environments and Essential Variables: join LifeWatch ERIC at EGU 2026

EGU 2026

LifeWatch ERIC is taking an active part in two sessions at EGU 2026, the European GeoSciences Union General Assembly in Vienna, from 3-8 May 2026. As one of the biggest conferences on environmental and earth sciences, EGU 2026 welcomes every year around 20,000 scientists to present their work and meet other researchers.

The first session “Co-creating Climate Services: Linking Essential Variables with Actionable Decision Support“, is organised by the ENVRI-Hub-Next project. The session is inspired by the current work in the project, where Essential Variables (EVs) play a key role. It will explore the technical, infrastructural, and policy advancements required to make EVs the foundational language for global environmental cooperation.

The session conveners and co-conveners invited scientists, data engineers, social scientists, and policymakers to connect the “essential” with the “actionable”, forging a coherent path from global observation to local solution: https://www.egu26.eu/session/57662

The second session is titled “Bridging Earth Science Research through Integrated e-Infrastructures and Virtual Research Environments (VREs): From Digital Services to Digital Twins“. Co-convened by Jacco Konijn (LifeWatch ERIC VLIC), it focuses on Virtual Research Environments in Earth and Environmental science, which are at the heart of LifeWatch ERIC services. This session aims to highlight how interoperable e-Infrastructure services can be used to build VREs and Virtual Labs to provide end-to-end support, strengthening research capacity through collaboration between service providers and scientists.

Contributions selected for this session will demonstrate practical examples of how digital services, VREs and e-infrastructures enhance research workflows in Earth and environmental science, present innovative integration approaches, highlight technical implementations, and share lessons learnt and new challenges: https://www.egu26.eu/session/56062

For more information on EGU 2026 visit the official event page: https://www.egu26.eu

Assessing coastal wetlands and their role in climate mitigation: Policy Briefs #8 and #9 from RESTORE4Cs

RESTORE4Cs Policy Briefs 8-9

The collection of multi-language Policy Briefs from the RESTORE4Cs Project (https://www.restore4cs.eu/resources/policy-briefs), provides best practices and science-based knowledge on European coastal wetlands restoration, gathered through the three years of project, and across 6 case studies.

In this article we talk about Policy Brief #8 and #9.

Policy Brief #8 “Advancing a coherent framework for assessing European coastal wetland condition”, addresses the lack of a clear definition of coastal wetlands, a shortcoming that results in these areas often being overlooked within policy frameworks. The document advances a harmonised definition of coastal wetlands, aligned with the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971), that captures the full land-sea continuum where salt, brackish, and fresh waters interact.

Moreover, building on that definition, it provides a harmonised spatial mapping approach, to delineate coastal wetlands across Europe, establishing a consistent EU-wide baseline for monitoring their extent and condition.

You can download the full document in English here: https://www.restore4cs.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EN_Policy-Brief-8-v5_Final.pdf

Policy Brief #9 “How can coastal wetland restoration mitigate climate change? What we know and what is still unclear”, proposes coastal wetland restoration as a promising NbS (Nature-based Solution) for climate change mitigation. In fact, restored wetlands act as net carbon sinks, increasing carbon stocks in plant biomass and soil, without a corresponding increase in GHG emissions. At the same time, it highlights inconsistencies in the availability of data about carbon stocks and GHG emissions across countries and wetland types. Freshwater wetlands and transitional waters in Europe are still underrepresented in empirical evidence.

The document also highlights that the focus is primarily on carbon stocks, rather than GHG emissions, while the reporting of GHG flux data is not yet standardised.

Read and download the document here to get the key policy recommendations: https://www.restore4cs.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EN_Policy-Brief-9-v7_Final.pdf

A new understanding of nature: ITINERIS 2-day training on VREs and presentation of the final platform

ITINERIS

ITINERIS (https://itineris.cnr.it/) is an initiative started in November 2022 with the objective to support the Italian integrated system of Research Infrastructures (RIs) in the environmental domain, under the coordination of the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy.

One of its main outputs is the ITINERIS HUB, a gateway to the wide range of data, cutting-edge facilities, analytical tools, and services from these RIs, facilitating observation and study of processes in the atmosphere, marine domain, terrestrial biosphere, and geosphere. Italy is in fact actively involved in all major pan-European Environmental Research Infrastructures, and hosts other nationally relevant RIs, demanding for coordinated actions to integrate, interlink and harmonise their activities.

The ITINERIS HUB includes digital tools such as datasets, research products, and training resources among others, as well as Virtual Research Environments (VREs), that is, web-based, community-oriented working environments that enable researchers to work remotely and interactively.

Now in its final phases, ITINERIS has recently launched a VREs training event in two sessions, on 27 and on 30 January. The event will be an opportunity to train the platform super-admins and admins on two newly launched VREs developed in collaboration with LifeWatch ERIC by EquiUP SRL. The first one, Biomass VRE, helps study aquatic and terrestrial biomass dynamics in relation to climatic, ecological, and anthropogenic factors, while the second one, Phyto VRE, allows phytoplankton data computation and analysis.

After the training events, the final version of the platform will be presented to its end-users in another session on Friday 30 January at 15:00, together with some practical case studies to help in the adoption of its tools.

Researchers are just beginning to understand the series of intricate relations governing our planet: this is one of modern science’s biggest challenges in the face of today’s critical issues. Platforms like ITINERIS HUB can help elaborate and interpret the huge quantity of data available from different sources and offer a new understanding of nature.

Marine SABRES in Fairs: a stop in Pisa to explore marine ecosystems and local challenges

Marine SABRES in Fairs - Pisa

The ‘Marine SABRES in Fairs’ initiative reached Pisa for a new stop dedicated to dialogue, knowledge exchange, and marine ecosystem restoration. The event took place within the third round of stakeholder consultations, organised by HuFoSS together with the University of Pisa.

At the Marine SABRES stand, students, researchers, PhD candidates, and stakeholders were invited to discover how marine research connects with everyday life and coastal realities. Through visual materials, videos, and direct interaction with project representatives, visitors explored the objectives and results of Marine SABRES and its contribution to ecosystem-based management.

A central focus of the Pisa edition was the Tuscan Archipelago Demonstration Area. Particular attention was given to restoration actions addressing the degradation of Posidonia oceanica meadows, key marine habitats that are increasingly impacted by human activities, especially tourism pressure along Mediterranean coasts.

The stand also featured documentary trailers produced by the LifeWatch Italy Multimedia Production Centre, offering participants a visual insight into the project’s work and the environmental challenges faced across different marine regions. These short previews helped translate scientific research into accessible stories, fostering awareness and engagement among diverse audiences.

We warmly thank everyone who joined us in Pisa and contributed to the discussion with their interest and questions. If you were unable to attend, the documentary trailers are available on LifeWatching.tv.

For more information, please visit Marine SABRES official website: www.marinesabres.eu

RESTORE4Cs Policy Briefs #6 and #7: Coastal Wetlands Indicators and Social Acceptability

RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief 6 (1)

The RESTORE4Cs project has published two more Policy Briefs that add to the 5 previously published by the consortium: https://www.restore4cs.eu/resources/policy-briefs/.

Policy Brief #6 “European Coastal Wetland Indicators: A proposal for monitoring policy processes across space and time”, offers a practical approach to track the status, trends, and policy performance of Europe’s coastal wetlands.

In fact, despite covering less than 0.6% of the European landscape, coastal wetlands provide important benefits to the environment, such as carbon storage, protection from storm, regulation of water flows. They also filter pollutants, and support a diversity of threatened species.

In order to protect and preserve wetlands, countries need to be able to monitor them through robust and harmonised indicators that track their extent, health, biodiversity, the progress of restorations, GHG emissions and removals, among others. The RESTORE4Cs approach integrates remote sensing, GIS, modelling, machine learning and in-situ monitoring to enable timely and high-quality assessment. You can read and download the full document: https://www.restore4cs.eu/restore4cs-6th-policy-brief

Policy Brief #7 “Social Acceptability: The Key Ingredient for Enhanced Coastal Wetland Restoration”, tackles the topic of social acceptability (the degree to which something reflects a community’s values, beliefs, and norms), and how this can “make or break” the success of wetland restoration across six European sites. Using a participatory, multi-criteria analysis, RESTORE4Cs researchers combined scientific assessments with local stakeholders’ perspectives.

They also analysed which key drivers play a bigger role in shaping acceptability: according to their findings, these are local economic interests, environmental benefits, and cultural values, while other aspects, such as trust, participation, and contextual knowledge, seem to be undervalued in decision-making.

Read and download the document here to get the key policy recommendations: https://www.restore4cs.eu/restore4cs-7th-policy-brief

From science to society: Marine SABRES in Fairs lands in Pisa

Marine SABRES in Fairs at stakeholder meeting in Pisa - 14 January 2026

Marine SABRES in Fairs will make its next stop in Pisa on 14 January 2026, bringing the project’s results and resources to the University of Pisa.

The initiative aims to engage students, researchers, and citizens in exploring how Marine SABRES connects science, policy, and society to protect marine ecosystems and foster a sustainable blue economy.

The event will take place within the third round of stakeholder consultations, hosted by the Marine SABRES project and organised by HuFoSS (Hummel Foundation for Sustainable Solutions) and the University of Pisa. The meeting represents an important moment of dialogue with local actors and experts, aimed at testing and refining the tools co-designed within the project to support sustainable marine management and policy.

From 14:30, students, researchers and all those interested in the topic are invited to join the open session dedicated to the Tuscan Demonstration Area and discover our stand, including posters, thematic videos, the documentary trailer, brochures and best practices that have emerged from the Marine SABRES approach, with simple and replicable tools for administrations, operators and communities.

This will be an opportunity to learn more about the project’s activities, interact with experts, and discover how innovative tools developed within Marine SABRES can turn ideas into action for the marine environment.

🗓️ 14 January 2026 | 14:30
📍Polo San Rossore | Room SR D1 | Via Risorgimento 19 – Pisa

Meet us in Pisa and experience how science supports marine sustainability!

For more information about the project, please visit Marine SABRES official website: www.marinesabres.eu

XII Ibero-American Congress  on Science and Technology Indicators

RICYT Congress

On 25-26 November 2025, LifeWatch ERIC attended the XII Ibero-American Congress on Science and Technology Indicators in Montevideo (Uruguay). Julio Paneque, Principal Software Engineer, represented the Research Infrastructure and presented a tool developed within the framework of the EU-LAC ENERGYTRAN project, in collaboration with other infrastructures and scientific institutions.

The tool monitors and assesses the progress of energy transition in EU and LAC countries, by calculating indexes based on publicly available datasets. It offers a transparent framework to track progress toward relevant SDGs, and supports evidence-based policymaking.

A highly relevant topic for the congress, which is one of the region’s leading events on science policy, research information systems, and international cooperation in science, technology and innovation.

Organised by OEI, ANII, IDB, and RELAI, and supported by UNESCO, the MEC of Uruguay, the IAI, and LACCEI, the event brought together policy makers, indicator specialists, researchers, and international organisations under the theme “Measuring the Contribution of Science to a Sustainable World“. This theme highlights the potential of science and technology – together with higher education and training – to drive innovation, development, and tangible responses to global challenges, including climate change, sustainable energy transition, and social inequalities, for which indicators serve as essential tools for evidence-based decision-making.

For more information on the event, visit this page.

RESTORE4Cs releases two new Policy Briefs on wetlands restoration

RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief 4-5

The Horizon Europe RESTORE4Cs project has released its 4th and 5th Policy Briefs:

  • Policy Brief #4: “Beyond public funds: diversifying financing for wetland restoration”, highlighting the urgent need to complement public funding with innovative financial instruments to ensure long-term wetland restoration in Europe.
  • Policy Brief #5: “Advancing Policy Integration Across Mediterranean Countries: Aligning with the Barcelona Convention and International Commitments Through a Common Evidence-Based Strategy”, promoting a harmonised set of indicators and metrics for evidence-based coastal wetlands protection strategies.

These documents provide funding entities and policymakers with clear, well-summarised knowledge from real studies, helping them understand the importance of taking specific actions.

To start with, wetlands provide essential services such as flood protection, clean water, and carbon storage, to name a few. Despite their importance, they still receive less than 9% of global nature-based solution funding. The RESTORE4Cs Case Pilots presented in Policy Brief 4 show that long-term management, monitoring, and maintenance remain severely underfunded, with public funds usually covering only the initial restoration costs.

Moreover, the ongoing loss of wetlands highlights the urgent need for effective policies to protect and restore these vital ecosystems. We need a framework that allows for consistent assessments of their health and status, guides adaptive management practices, and ensures that conservation and restoration efforts align with regional and international objectives.

For this reason, Policy Brief 5 explores a full set of performance indicators and metrics.
These key indicators will serve as a strategic planning framework to help countries plan, implement, and evaluate the impacts of their actions. They establish reference points to measure national efforts, identify areas for improvement, and support data-driven decision-making.

Read the full documents on RESTORE4Cs to learn more about the key recommendations and solutions proposed by the partners:

Deep Learning and marine recovery: the DTO-BioFlow project releases new study

DTO BioFlow Press Release

What can 26 years of underwater video recordings tell us about climate change and human pressures on the sea?

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg’s Tjärnö Marine Laboratory have analysed footage from Sweden’s Kosterhavet National Park, the first marine national park in Sweden, to get a clearer understanding of the rapid transformations that marine ecosystems are undergoing. Spanning over 26 years, this analysis has great potential to show us how human and climate influence are literally reshaping the sea floor.

The study, published in the Ecology and Evolution journal, has been funded by the DTO-BioFlow project. DTO-BioFlow is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action, that brings together 28 European partners to improve access to marine biodiversity data, apply artificial intelligence in ocean monitoring, and connect these resources to EMODnet and EDITO. As part of the project’s consortium, LifeWatch ERIC demonstrates with policy-relevant use cases the benefit of an end-to-end approach for biodiversity monitoring, as part of the project’s consortium.

This work offers a concrete illustration of how AI can contribute to ecosystem monitoring and management, by transforming “sleeping data” like archives of footage into ecological knowledge: it can tell us if protection measures are actually working, and show us the seabed’s responses to rising temperatures.

The results of the study showed that the restrictions introduced over the past 25 years in Sweden’s waters have contributed to the recovery of sensitive seabed communities, creating solid ground for the implementation of similar measures in other areas.

Read more on the DTO-BioFlow website: https://dto-bioflow.eu/news/using-deep-learning-unlock-decades-marine-biodiversity-data-and-plan-marine-recovering