MERLIN Podcast: Bringing Europe’s freshwaters back to life
Episodes
Four years, 18 sites, one mission: bringing Europe's freshwaters back to life
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
n March 2026, MERLIN scientific coordinator Daniel Hering stood before a Brussels room full of European policymakers and set out what four years of fr...
How do you mainstream freshwater restoration across an entire continent?
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Nature Restoration Regulation is now European law. National Restoration Plans are being written. The targets are set. So why does transformative, ...
How can water-friendly farming be mainstreamed in Europe?
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Freshwater restoration should be at the heart of how farming is managed in Europe, according to new recommendations.Reshaping the Common Agricultural ...
Sharing cutting-edge information on freshwater restoration in the MERLIN Academy
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast we take a tour of the MERLIN Academy, an online platform which offers free resources and training to support researchers, practitioner...
How nature-based solutions can support people and nature in freshwater restoration
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Harnessing the potential of natural processes in freshwater restoration can create significant ecological, social and economic benefits, according to ...
Communicating why freshwater restoration is vital
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Restoring our natural ecosystems is a task that is never really finished: science progresses; governments change; technology advances; society shifts;...
Restoring Europe's landscapes through the Green Deal and Nature Restoration Law
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast we take a behind the scenes look at environmental restoration in Europe on the cusp of what will likely prove to be a transformative y...
Why community matters to freshwater restoration
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's increasingly recognised that restoring damaged ecosystems is not only about improving habitats for wildlife, it is also vital to consider the nee...
Stories from the water’s edge: getting freshwater restoration done in Europe
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is a podcast telling stories about how restoration gets done across Europe. First we hear from Joshua Royte, a conservation scientist working for...
Learning from the river: restoring the Danube
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us on the banks of the Danube River in Austria to hear how ambitious restoration projects are helping free the river from human alterations. We m...
Water, climate and farming: making space for stream restoration in Portugal
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore the issues around stream restoration in the Sorraia catchment in Central Portugal. Restoration of the Sorraia river needs t...
How economic thinking can help us restore Europe's freshwaters
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In October 2023, the WWF released a major report stating that freshwater has long been significantly undervalued in global economies, leading to wides...
Mainstreaming freshwater nature-based solutions across economic sectors
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nature-based solutions are a hot topic right now. So-called 'NbS' are environmental management approaches that use natural processes to help tackle so...
Restoring Europe's peatlands and wetlands
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Peatlands and wetlands are vital landscapes. They store carbon and so help mitigate the harmful effects of climate change, they help buffer floodwater...
Freshwater Restoration in Europe: Transformation, Disruption and Inspiration
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode explores the big ideas that are shaping how ambitious freshwater restoration projects are being carried out across Europe. From dam remov...
Introducing MERLIN - Large river and floodplain restoration on the Rhine Delta
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In July 2022 podcast host Rob St John travelled to the Netherlands to meet MERLIN practitioners working on the project’s large river restoration sit...