ExpectedOutcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Contribution to the implementation of the European Green Deal and the Water Framework Directive and related guidance documents as well as other EU instruments and policies that concern freshwater ecosystem protection, in particular to the implementation of the Updated River Basin Management Plan for Danube[1] (2021) as regards sustainable sediment management in the Danube river basin;
- Demonstrated sustainable and effective solutions for sediment management at a river basin scale, including solutions for the restoration of sediment balance, quality and flow in the Danube river-Black sea system;
- Measurable improvements in the quality (including a reduction of harmful chemicals, plastics and microplastics) and quantity of sediments flows demonstrate the effectiveness of the measures and solutions implemented;
- Improved transnational and trans-sectoral cooperation between national authorities and other actors involved in sediment management at river basin scale;
- Scaling up of solutions for the sustainable management of sediments at river basin scale in other European river basins through the involvement of river basin management bodies and ‘associated regions’;
- Active support to the Mission’s Digital Ocean and Water Knowledge system through advances in knowledge related to land-sea and river-sea interactions.
Scope:
Proposals under this topic are expected to show how their activities and results will achieve the Mission objective 1 - Protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, in line with the timeframe of the Mission phases, i.e.: by 2025 for the ‘development and piloting’ phase and 2030 for the ‘deployment and upscaling phase’.
Sediments, a key component of river ecosystems, provide habitats to many aquatic organisms, regulate the morphology and shape of river basin and provide key ecosystem services. Pollutants can accumulate in sediments and, once displacements occur, disperse with them throughout the entire river basin. Human activities that affect natural river flow and continuity, such as flood protection measures, commercial sediment excavation, hydropower and navigation, alter sediment balance and transport within the river basin. Land-based activities such as agriculture, are also major drivers of alterations in sediment regime. This interference results in decreased sediment flow in free flowing river sections and in a sediment surplus in impounded sections increasing the risk of damage to infrastructure and human dwellings, besides reducing the effectiveness and raising maintenance costs. Also, sediment quality, in particular the degree of pollution levels, plays an important role in achieving good ecological status of river waters. Effective sediment management at a river basin scale requires trans-national, cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary approach. Moreover, sediment management accounts for the different demands on sediments; it considers relevant protection aspects and multiple uses of a river and its floodplain (also diverging use interests, conflicts).
In the Danube river basin, the ICPDR[2] underlines in the river management plans 2009, 2015 and 2021 the need to improve sediment management and river morphology to address an increasing discrepancy between surplus and lack of sediment, which increases flood risks, reduces navigation possibilities, impacts hydropower production and biodiversity[3]. The 2021 river management plan recognises the sediment balance alteration as a significant management issue that requires urgent trans-national solutions.
The sediment flows in the Danube river basin were analysed in the ICPDR Danube Sediment Interreg project[4], which provided Danube Sediment management Guidance[5], whereas sediment quality monitoring was covered by the ICPDR ‘SIMONA’[6]project. This knowledge and guidance should provide references for the design of effective management measures and their subsequent demonstration at a river basin scale.
The proposals should focus on the demonstration of sustainable and effective solutions for sediment management at river basin scale, including solutions for restoration of sediment balance and flow in the Danube river-Black sea system and measures to improve sediment quality. The demonstration activities should entail a holistic approach to sediment management, involving all relevant actors at a transnational/national scale and across relevant sectors, such as ICPDR[2], relevant national authorities, riparian communities as well as concerned economic actors. These demonstration activities should appropriately combine sediment management measures focused on sediment flow quantity such as:
- measures to restore sediment transport and sediment flows;
- measures to reduce excessive erosion (e.g. change of sediment regime, increase of bed resistance, reduction of energy slope, nature based solutions, etc.);
- measures to address excessive sedimentation (e.g. change of sediment regime, route sediments, increase energy slope, increase bed shear stress, etc.),
with measures to improve sediment quality, such as pollution prevention and reduction. The measures should be adjusted to the needs of a specific river section, reservoir or embankment area and ensure a long-term sustainability of sediment flow, also improving the good ecological status and ecosystem services provided by key river ecosystems and habitats, including wetlands and protection of biodiversity. Nature based solutions and building with nature should be prioritised. Use of satellite-based remote sensing is encouraged to complement more traditional approaches on effectiveness assessment of the chosen measures and solutions.
Proposals must:
- Carry out demonstration activities in 3 different Member States and/or Associated Countries of the Danube river basin, involving and including in the consortium entities from these three countries. These demonstration activities should be selected on the basis of their relevance and impact at the river basin scale and based on the recommendations and results of the previously mentioned projects (ICPDR Danube Sediment Interreg project and SIMONA);
- Proposals should also identify areas and locations where the proposed solutions are replicable and draw up an action plan and roadmap needed for the replication and scale up of the solutions for sustainable and effective sediment management at a river basin scale.
The projects should include impact monitoring of the activities affecting sediment flow within the Danube river basin and into the Black sea, based on and in cooperation with the ICPDR sediments monitoring system set up through previous projects such as SIMONA and in cooperation with the national water/river management authorities concerned and relevant European Research Infrastructures. In addition, the project will monitor the impacts and effectiveness of demonstration activities at a local scale.
To address the impact-driven approach of the Mission and the nature of Innovation Actions, proposals are expected to work with and engage at least 5 ‘associated regions’ to showcase the feasibility, replicability and scalability of the solutions developed within the projects in other areas. ‘Associated regions’ are understood as areas with ecosystems that can benefit from the demonstration activities (e.g. neighbouring regions and/or regions in a different sea basin) and/or less-developed regions, with the need to build capacity to implement the innovative solutions to improve management of sediments in a river basin. The proposals should ensure that the 'associated regions' are located in Member States/Associated countries other than those that are part of the project consortium. The involvement of 'associated regions' that have not yet participated in Mission projects is encouraged. The partners should proactively reach out to the 'associated regions' to enable them to follow closely the project and its demonstration activities. The projects should continuously share their outcomes and knowledge with those ‘associated regions’ and provide them with technical assistance to build capacity and to implement sustainable, balanced and effective sediment management at a river basin scale in their territory that contribute to achieving the Mission objectives. The technical assistance to the ’associated regions’ should include the provision of technical advisory services necessary to the prepare roadmaps, plans and projects to restore sustainable and balanced sediment flow at a river basin scale by addressing possible barriers, improving sediment quality, implementing effective sediment monitoring systems at a river basin scale and showing the feasibility of implementing innovative solutions. Proposals should outline the selection process of the third parties to which financial support would be granted based on principles of transparency, objectivity and fairness, in accordance with part G of the general annexes to this work programme. The projects should support data and knowledge sharing through and as well benefit from the Ocean and Water Knowledge System to foster cross-regions, pan-European approaches.
The maximum amount of Financial Support to Third Parties is EUR 100,000 per 'associated region’ for the entire duration of the action. Proposals should outline the selection process of the third parties to which financial support would be granted based on principles of transparency, objectivity and fairness.
The proposals are expected to integrate actions to support the social and economic transitions towards sustainable, inclusive and long term management of the restored and protected ecosystems, including natural, social, economic and cultural elements and business models for generating revenue from the restored and protected ecosystems and involve for that purpose local business communities, in particular SMEs, investors and other business stakeholders.
Training and communication activities addressing stakeholders, including regional and local authorities from the ‘associated regions’ should be included in each proposal. Local actors, including where appropriate, the European Solidarity Corps and Mission Citizen Assemblies, should be involved in the demonstration activities.
The proposal should consider actions to prevent and reduce pollution from different sources (such as chemicals and organic pollutants) affecting sediments with a view to improving their quality[8].
The proposals should also build on research and innovation developed in the current and previous EU framework programmes, such as but not limited to Horizon2020 and Horizon Europe (notably with projects selected under topics HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-01-02; HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-02-02 and HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-02-04) and the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for the Black Sea (SRIA), LIFE, Interreg projects (such as Danube Flood Plain[9]), EU monitoring programmes (Copernicus land and climate change monitoring services, EMODnet) and national and regional programmes in the Danube river basin (e.g. Interreg 2021-2027 / EU Macroregional Strategies) as well as the activities of Water4All Partnership and Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership and the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea, in particular in the framework of sustainable sediment management. Additionally, projects should collaborate with projects funded under the topic HORIZON-INFRA-2022-EOSC-01-03 to adopt best practices regarding FAIR and open data sharing.
The projects funded under this topic should:
- build links with other Mission activities and other relevant activities within the lighthouse and its area to maximize synergies, as well as with the European Blue Parks, other Mission lighthouses and their activities;
- build links with the Mission implementation monitoring system that will be part of the Mission Implementation Support Platform and with the Danube river basin lighthouse support facility and platform, for reporting, monitoring and coordination of all relevant implementation activities in the lighthouse area as well as with the Blue Parks technical support platform;
- build links with the activities of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River in the area of sediment management, with the Danube sediment monitoring framework as well as with the national and regional authorities with competence in the area of river and water management;
- support the Ocean and water knowledge system, in particular by contributing to hydrological or biodiversity monitoring, modelling and knowledge creation and data.
Proposals are expected to show how their activities and results will support the European Green Deal and the European Biodiversity Strategy[10], in particular its target of 25,000 km of free flowing rivers and demonstrate how they will achieve the Mission’s objectives, taking into account the timeframe of the Mission phases, i.e.: by 2025 for the ‘development and piloting’ phase and 2030 for the ‘deployment and upscaling phase’.
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
[1]Updated Danube River Basin management Plan.
[2]ICPDR - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River |
[3]2021 Updates to Danube River Basin & Flood Risk Management Plans Published | ICPDR - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River
[4]Danube Sediment - PA 05 (danube-region.eu); Interreg Danube (interreg-danube.eu)
[5]ee566924f1764d4798dc7bb9b59537ce84d98101.pdf (interreg-danube.eu)
[6]Project SIMONA | (bas.bg)
[7]ICPDR - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River |
[8] Links with the activities carried out by projects retained under topic HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-SOIL-01-01: Mission Ocean and Waters and Mission A Soil Deal for Europe – Joint demonstration of approaches and solutions to address nutrient pollution in the landscape-river-sea system in the Mediterranean sea basin may be envisaged
[9]Interreg Danube (interreg-danube.eu)
[10]https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030_en
