These floods are stark evidence of how the ongoing impacts of climate change are being intensified by the degradation of natural freshwater habitats. This was seen recently in the flood disasters across Germany and Belgium, where decades of heavy river engineering coupled with extreme rainfall as a result of climate change created the conditions for catastrophic flooding. However, when freshwater habitats are degraded and destroyed, their ability to provide such benefits to people is impaired. Rivers, lakes, peatlands and wetlands create a host of benefits for people: drinking water, flood protection, water filtration, carbon storage, food supplies, tourism, and mental well-being, amongst numerous others. As this blog has documented, freshwaters are vital ‘ life support systems’ for both humans and wildlife alike.
Freshwaters are key to such transformative change. All of this comes with a cost, not only to the rich biodiversity European ecosystems support, but also to the human communities who rely on nature for food, water, jobs and well-being.Īs a result, there is a pressing need for damaged ecosystems to be brought back to life through ecological restoration across Europe. Despite decades of environmental action and policy, human activities continue to alter, degrade and destroy ecosystems across the continent.
Image: MERLINĮurope’s environments are in an alarming state. Beaver reintroductions are restoring natural processes to the Torringen area of Sweden.
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