From February 2022 till January 2024, we realised the project Urban River Valleys Ecosystems. The potential of ecosystem services in anthropogenic climate change mitigation. In collaboration with Phronesis SA in Oslo, we were raising awareness of the river valley ecosystems’ value for life quality and climate change mitigation in cities.
Project goals
- raising awareness of the ecosystem services provided by urban rivers and valleys;
- increasing the knowledge and skills of local decision-makers, city officials, local government employees and planners to support the sustainable management of river valley ecosystems;
- improving knowledge and skills of educators and people conducting educational and communication campaigns in urban nature conservation.
Within the framework of the project, we developed a series of educational activities aimed at professionals, representatives of local governments, NGOs and city dwellers.
Expert workshops (April-May 2022)
We started the project with two expert workshops. Their goal was to build knowledge about the challenges of managing river valleys to support the optimal use of their ecosystem services. We compiled best practice examples focusing on protecting or restoring ecosystem services in river valleys. The results of the meetings served as a starting point for implementing further activities in the project: the training program, the publication, the final conference and the communication activities.
35 experts attended the meetings, including representatives of science, municipalities, counties, NGOs, and other public and private institutions involved in river valley management.
Two expert meetings took place in the form of a workshop, with 15 participants each:
- The first workshop was devoted to the challenges of spatial planning in the context of river valleys and opening rivers to the city and waterfronts. We discussed good practices of the Blue and Green Network in Łódź, River Parks in Kraków and Warsaw’s Wisła;
- The second workshop was devoted to the restoration of watercourses in the city, discussing the examples of the Mleczna River in Radom and the Drna River in Warsaw; We also analyzed the conditions related to feeding watercourses with rainwater, discussing in detail the case studies of Arturówka in Łódź and Struga Dziekanowska in Łomianki.
River valleys perception survey (July-September 2022)
The study of the Warsaw rivers in the eyes of residents was devoted to urban rivers and their accompanying watercourses and riverside areas. Its goal was to learn how residents perceive urban river valleys and how they use them.
We conducted it among 540 residents using a geo survey. We asked respondents to answer questions regarding the following issues:
- Rivers in the city – functions and benefits,
- What threatens us from rivers, and how do we threaten rivers?
- How should we protect the natural potential of rivers?
- Warsaw’s rivers are not only the Vistula,
- An ideal city with rivers as its element.
Training program on Urban river valley ecosystems (1st half 2023)
The two-stage program used the knowledge gained from expert meetings and the perception survey results. We addressed it to the decision-makers and specialists.
The program included a 1,5-month e-learning course (March 6-April 14, 2023) in which all 122 interested persons could participate.
The course had 3 parts:
- mapping and assessment of urban river valley ecosystem value;
- best practices for sustainable management in river valleys;
- conducting education and information campaigns for river valleys’ protection.
In addition, the programme also had three thematic stationary training courses in which the best graduates of online training took part. Realising them, we cooperated closely with the selected cities to enable the participants to work on real-life problems. Furthermore, the solutions developed during the workshops were made available to the host cities to allow their implementation in the future.
Restoration of urban rivers. Designing nature-based solutions for sustainable catchment management, Kraków, May 15–19, 2023.
The urban section of the Rudawa River in Krakow, covered with embankments, became a testing ground. 17 participants of the training deepened their knowledge and based on it created the concept of rebuilding this river ecosystem – for nature and residents.
The training was intended for people specializing in designing and planning restoration projects. Therefore, they included representatives of water administration, local government, government and design offices. The goals of the training were:
- deepening knowledge about renaturalization, understood as an activity supporting the restoration of the state of an ecosystem or natural processes taking place in an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed;
- understanding what determines the scope of activities aimed at restoring river ecosystems and how to plan such activities using a real example.
The knowledge provided during this workshop led by Ilona Biedroń and Agnieszka Czachowska, was the basis for developing a concept that could become the basis for the city’s activities in the field of renaturalization of the Rudawa River.
Conducting social and educational campaigns about river valley ecosystems, Wrocław, May 30–31, 2023
For two sunny days, 15 participants of the training in Wrocław discussed how to convince decision-makers and city residents that healthy ecosystems of urban river valleys provide numerous services thanks to which life in the city is healthier, biodiversity develops, reduces flood risk.
The training was intended for representatives of science, non-governmental organizations, and public institutions dealing with education or social campaigns. The aim of the training was:
- Deepening understanding of issues related to the assessment of ecosystem services and their perception by city residents,
- Developing skills in conducting effective campaigns and educational programs using data on ecosystem services addressed to various target groups.
Agnieszka Czachowska from the Sendzimir Foundation conducted the training. The theory of conducting social campaigns was introduced to the participants by Weronika Mazurek – an architect, cultural expert, communication designer, and graphic designer involved in the activities of the Wrocław Climate Protection Coalition. Kamil Zaręba presented examples of educational activities conducted by Odra Centrum. To experience the variety of forms that ecological education can take, participants took part in an action to fish out garbage from the Oder riverbed.
The concepts of campaigns that the participants developed during the workshop were presented at the summary meeting and discussed with the guests: Monika Pec-Święcicka from the City Green Areas Management and Mateusz Majka – coordinator for river policy in Wrocław. Members of the Wrocław Climate Protection Coalition also took part in the meeting – we hope that the ideas developed will become a valuable inspiration for new activities carried out by it.
Shaping waterfronts, Warsaw, September 6-8, 2023
Służewiecki Stream is the last small river in Warsaw with natural waters. However, its valley has long lost its natural character – in some places, it is regulated; in some areas, it flows underground, dammed up in ponds; it serves mainly to drain excess rainwater, which is why it overflows from a too-narrow bed after heavy rains and floods the streets.
Eighteen participants of the training, together with experts, discussed changes that should be introduced. The goal of the intervention would be to regain its ability to regulate water flows and increase its retention capacity. In addition, all actions must enhance biodiversity and simultaneously strengthen the recreation potential for residents.
We addressed the training to people specializing in river valley management, including representatives of water and local government administration. Therefore, our goal was to disseminate knowledge about the assessment of ecosystem services and instruments that enable the management of river valleys in cities without losing the services they provide.
The knowledge provided was the basis for developing a concept that could become the basis for the city’s activities in managing the Służewiecki Stream.
The leading expert and guide on the issue of shaping waterfronts was Anna Januchta-Szostak from the Poznań University of Technology, architect and urban planner, and member of the Interdisciplinary Advisory Team on the Climate Crisis at the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences. We also invited Agnieszka Kowalewska, an urban planner, landscape architect, and expert in the field of blue-green city infrastructure, who analyzed the current and future spatial planning system regarding the protection of river valleys.
The study visit in Norway (27-28 September 2023)
The visit to Norway was organized by the project partner Phronesis SA. 12 people, representatives of Polish local governments, took part in it.
The visit aimed to learn about exemplary solutions for restoring river valleys’ ecosystem services in Oslo’s urban areas. Participants learned about local policies and development plans for river valleys. The project partner presented previously developed case studies. We saw examples of good practice in the field.
The visit allowed the participants to establish contacts with representatives of Norwegian institutions.
Publication “River in the City” (October 2023)
We published a practical guide in the Sustainable Development – Applications publishing series, which the Sendzimir Foundation has developed for years.
We included the knowledge acquired during the project in the guide. Among others, we presented inspiring examples of good practices implemented to protect urban river valleys, increase the efficiency of their service delivery, and effectively communicate these topics. Examples come from Poland and around the world. In addition, the project partner Phronesis SA described case studies from Norway. We paid attention to the challenges in the sustainable management of river valleys and presented legal and organizational solutions that allow for better management of river valley resources.
The guide has a practical character. Furthermore, the scientific editors, Jakub Kronenberg, PhD (University of Lodz), Tomasz Bergier, PhD (AGH University), and Iwona Wagner, PhD, ensured a high substantive level. We have subjected the publication to a scientific review.
The printed edition (1,200 copies) was sent to decision-makers, specialists, and libraries. The electronic version of the publication in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats can be found here (Polish version only)
We invite you to read other publications from the Sustainable Development – Applications series. They are free of charge in electronic versions in Polish and English (numbers 1-5).
Final conference (7-8 October 2023)
During the event, we summarized the effects of the activities carried out in the project and shared the acquired knowledge with the participants. Over 120 specialists, representatives of cities and non-governmental organizations from all over Poland took part in it.
The reflections from the conference can be found here.
Website
We developed the website uslugiekosystemow.pl, created within the framework of the project Ecosystem services for sustainable urban development and expanded in subsequent projects. You can find there numerous articles where we share knowledge and best practices (in Polish only).
The project “Urban River Valleys Ecosystems. The potential of ecosystem services in anthropogenic climate change mitigation” benefits from a € 164 599,08 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through EEA funding under the Environment, Energy and Climate Change Program; program area: Environment and ecosystems.
It ran from February 2022 to January 2024.
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