EU supports sponge restoration to enhance water and climate resilience
New policy brief recommends renewing natural water storage areas.
1What is sponge restoration?
Sponge restoration aims to recover the natural ability of soils, wetlands, forests, and floodplains to absorb, store, and slowly release water. This natural process reduces floods caused by heavy rainfall while ensuring the continuity of water resources during droughts. EU-supported projects encourage the revival of these natural mechanisms.
2Collaboration of EU projects
Three EU-funded projects, SpongeBoost, SpongeWorks, and SpongeScapes, have published a joint policy brief titled 'Achieving Better Implementation of EU Policies by Restoring the Sponge Function.' The document provides concrete recommendations to strengthen Europe's water and climate resilience. The projects combine policy guidance, scientific evidence, and field implementation experiences.
3Climate change impacts
Degraded soils, drained catchments, and lost wetlands contribute to more severe droughts and destructive floods in Europe. This situation increases pressure on water resources while negatively affecting critical sectors like agriculture, energy production, and urban infrastructure. Sponge restoration offers a nature-based solution to mitigate these effects.
4Policy recommendations
The published policy brief recommends greater emphasis on sponge restoration in the EU's existing water, agriculture, and climate policies. Suggestions include strengthening funding mechanisms for protecting and restoring natural water storage areas, enhancing local government capacities, and promoting collaboration among stakeholders.
5Scientific evidence
The projects compile numerous scientific studies proving the effectiveness of sponge restoration. For example, restored wetlands can absorb 30-40% of rainfall, preventing floods while replenishing water sources during dry periods. This data serves as a critical resource for policymakers in decision-making processes.
6Field implementations
The SpongeBoost, SpongeWorks, and SpongeScapes projects have implemented sponge restoration practices in over 15 pilot areas across Europe. These include water retention measures on farmlands, green infrastructure projects in cities, and restoring riverbeds to their natural state. Successful results from pilot areas promise the method's scalability.
7Economic benefits
Sponge restoration offers not only ecological but also economic benefits. Calculations show that restoring natural water storage areas could reduce economic losses from floods and droughts by billions of euros annually. Additionally, such projects create local employment while increasing productivity in sectors like agriculture and tourism.
8Importance for Europe's future
Strengthening EU policies on sponge restoration is seen as a critical step in enhancing resilience to climate change impacts. Nature-based solutions support environmental sustainability while helping societies adapt to the climate crisis. This approach could play a significant role in achieving Europe's 2050 climate-neutral targets.