Conservation and restoration of fluvial ecosystems is, with no doubt, one of today’s big environmental challenges. Iberian rivers, streams and watercourses are, in more or less degree, far from their ecological optimum level.
In the Iberian Peninsula, at least a third of these ecosystems is very degraded in both structure and water quality and 60% of the wetlands and thousands of kilometres that would mitigate the damage caused by floods have disappeared.
Today’s water management model that “markets” with most of the water that flows through the rivers, dries up watercourses generating severe damages to ecosystems. Massive occupation of the floodplains by agricultural lands or the incessant urban growth, pollution from urban, industrial or agricultural sources, overexploitation of water for irrigation porpoises and lack of environmental sensitivity in the society contributes to aggravate this situation.
©Andres Rebollo
In this context the Iberian Centre for River Restoration (CIREF) was created as a non profit association, linked to European Centre for River Restoration (ECRRfollowing examples of other European countries as DenmarkDCVR), Italy (CIRF) or United Kingdom (RRC).
Objectives
- To promote participation, support and advise public and private activities and initiatives that have as goal to protect, preserve and restore fluvial systems.
- To establish and maintain relationships and adequate representation in public or private institutions that touch upon the scope of the Centre, collaborating with them in which may be beneficial for fluvial systems.
- To promote and design technical documents and educational resources to use at High School, Universities or others to disseminate knowledge in river ecology and restoration.
- To disseminate and defend fluvial ecosystem values, to collaborate in the fight against their degradation due to pollution, dredging, channelization, flow regulation, reservoirs and occupation of riversides and floodplains.
- To promote international projects or other sustainable development cooperation activities, compatible with conservation and restoration of fluvial ecosystems.
- To promote de information exchange among the experts that develop or participate in the conceptual development of river restoration projects, with the goal of improving the technical quality of the projects.
Actividades
Apoyar la labor de la administración pública en el ámbito de la restauración fluvial, brindando asesoría en la revisión y redacción de guías y otros documentos de interés público.
Un foro de encuentro, divulgación y discusión entre los diversos estamentos y organizaciones dedicadas a la restauración de ríos para compartir e intercambiar experiencias. El RestauraRíos se celebra cuatrienalmente. El primero tuvo lugar en 2011, en León, el segundo se celebró en Pamplona en 2015, el tercero en Murcia en 2019 y el cuarto en Toledo en 2023.
Revista electrónica de acceso completamente abierto y revisada por pares cuyo objetivo es promover la comunicación y la discusión entre profesionales que trabajan en conservación y restauración fluvial.
CIREF trabaja con financiación del programa europeo Open Rivers Programme para eliminar barreras transversales en los ríos que se encuentran obsoletas
WalkingRivers es una convocatoria mundial para salir a caminar por un río de tu localidad en un mismo día y demostrar todos juntos que los ríos son increíbles. La primera edición se celebró en mayo de 2024 en donde se caminaron 77 ríos en los 5 continentes.
La realización de cursos y formaciones sobre los distintos tópicos relacionados a la restauración fluvial.
Online database of restoration projects to share knowledge on river restoration.
Un proyecto europeo en el que CIREF forma parte del consorcio formado por 10 socios de 7 países de la UE que busca impulsar la función esponja del territorio.
