International Conference on River Restoration (30 June – 2 July 2015, Wageningen, The Netherlands)

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

REFORM will host its International Conference on Novel Approaches to Assess and Rehabilitate Modified Rivers (http://reformrivers.eu/events/final-conference) in Wageningen, The Netherlands, on 30 June to 2 July 2015. We aim for a conference with 200 participants allowing an excellent exchange of experiences and get-to-know each other.

Registration to the conference is now open under: http://reformrivers.eu/events/final-conference/registration-call-abstracts

Conference objectives

The purpose of the Conference is to enlarge awareness of the need and appreciation for the benefits of river rehabilitation. It will serve as a platform to present and discuss aspirations, challenges, analytical frameworks and novel approaches to improve our understanding of the causes and consequences of hydromorphological degradation and to enhance river rehabilitation.

REFORM has generated tools for cost-effective restoration of river ecosystems, and for improved monitoring of the biological effects of physical change by investigating natural, degradation and restoration processes in a wide range of river types across Europe. The conference aims to present the major outcome of REFORM mixed with excellent work from other studies from Europe and other continents.

Topics at the Conference include:

1. Assessment and rehabilitation of hydromorphological processes in rivers
2. Discerning the impact of hydromorphological modification from other stressors
3. Achievements by restoration and mitigation practices
4. How to improve the (cost-)effectiveness of river rehabilitation?
5. Benefits of river rehabilitation and synergies with other uses (flood protection, navigation, agriculture, hydropower)
6. Linking science to practice: tools to assess river status and guide rehabilitation to optimize river basin management

Important dates

Registration open 23 January 2015

Notification of abstract acceptance 25 February 2015

Deadline for extended summary 2 April 2015

Special rate hotel accommodation until 6 May 2015

Registration close 15 May 2015

Programme

The three-day programme will encompass 2,5 days of presentations with ample breaks to interact and socialize followed by half day excursion to experience the materialisation of Room for the Rivers project along the River Rhine.

Keynote speakers

• Prof. Gary Brierley (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
• Prof. Stan Gregory(Oregon State University, USA)
• Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece) 
• Dr Hervé Piégay (National Center for Scientific Research CNRS, France)
• Dr Peter Pollard (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, UK)
• Dr Phil Roni (NOAA Fisheries, USA)
• Dr Guy Woodward(Imperial College London, UK) 
• Prof. Roy Brouwer (Institute for Environmental Studies, the Netherlands)
• Dr Tom Buijse(Deltares, the Netherlands)
• Prof. Ian Cowx (University of HULL, UK)
• Prof. Angela Gurnell (Queen Mary University of London, UK)
• Dr Nikolai Friberg (NIVA, Norway)
• Prof. Daniel Hering (UDE, Germany)
• Dr Erik Mosselman (Deltares, Netherlands)
• Dr Christian Wolter (IGB, Germany)

 

For further information about the conference, please consult the website (http://reformrivers.eu/events/final-conference).

Summer school

The summer school on “Restoring regulated streams linking theory and practice” will take place on 27 June – 29 June addressing students and young researchers before the final conference. The 3-day programme encompasses field visits to stream restoration projects, theory for assessing degradation and plan restoration and drafting a restoration strategy. The number of participants is limited to 30. For further information on the programme and registration, please visit the summer school webpage (http://reformrivers.eu/events/summer-school).

Figure 1: Fish passage at the weir Hagestein, location: River Rhine (more precisely the Rhine branch named ‘Lek’) near Hagestein, the Netherlands, 13 October 2004 (photographer: Tom Buijse)

Figure 2: Navigation & low discharge on the River Rhine, location: River Rhine (more precisely the Rhine branch named ‘Waal’) near Ewijk, the Netherlands, 25 May 2011 (photographer: Tom Buijse)