URBAN RIVER VALLEYS ECOSYSTEMS. The potential of ecosystem services for climate change mitigation

Description

River valleys in cities provide a number of ecosystem services that are constantly subject to significant urban pressure, leading to the degradation of their potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Our experience shows that the most important challenges on the way to change this situation are lack of awareness and knowledge about the role of river valleys in climate change adaptation as well as efficient tools for their sustainable development among decision makers & citizens. 

Key stakeholders will be equipped with effective tools for the protection of river valley ecosystems, through capacity building program (e-learning, series of workshops, conference, reports & publication) based on the principle of collaborative learning, knowledge exchange & intersectoral dialogue. The awareness about the importance of river valley ecosystems protection will be raised by inform. Campaign reaching 48600 city inhabitants via project website, articles and social media presence. 

The main goals of the project include:

Provide 1430 decision makers & specialists with knowledge & skills for sustainable management of river val. ecosyst. 

Raise awareness about their impact on life quality in changing climate conditions. 

Municipal decision makers & specialists (scientists, planners, managers, designers, communication and education special.) via capacity building programs. 

Reaching city inhabitants via an information campaign. 

Summary of project results

River valleys in Polish cities have mostly succumbed to urbanization pressures, losing their natural and regulatory potential. Restoring the functioning of ecosystem services requires specialist knowledge, cooperation between different sectors and public support. The “Urban river valleys ecosystems” project targets decision-makers, specialists, and citizens with educational and information activities. It aims to raise awareness of the value of river valley ecosystems for improving life quality and mitigating climate change in cities.

Project goals:

• raising awareness of the ecosystem services provided by urban rivers and valleys;
• increasing the knowledge and skills of local decision-makers, city officials, local government employees and planners to support the sustainable management of river valley ecosystems;
• improving knowledge and skills of educators and people conducting educational and communication campaigns in urban nature conservation.
• Within the framework of the project, we developed a series of educational activities aimed at professionals, representatives of local governments, NGOs and city dwellers.

Project activities:

1. Expert workshops (April-May 2022)

We started the project with two expert workshops. Their goal was to build knowledge about the challenges of managing river valleys to support the optimal use of their ecosystem services. We compiled best practice examples focusing on protecting or restoring ecosystem services in river valleys. The results of the meetings served as a starting point for implementing further activities in the project: the training program, the publication, the final conference and the communication activities.

35 experts attended the meetings, including representatives of science, municipalities, counties, NGOs, and other public and private institutions involved in river valley management.

The first workshop was devoted to the challenges of spatial planning in the context of river valleys and opening rivers to the city and waterfronts. We discussed good practices of the Blue and Green Network in Łódź, River Parks in Kraków and Warsaw’s Wisła;

The second workshop was devoted to the restoration of watercourses in the city, discussing the examples of the Mleczna River in Radom and the Drna River in Warsaw; We also analyzed the conditions related to feeding watercourses with rainwater, discussing in detail the case studies of Arturówka in Łódź and Struga Dziekanowska in Łomianki.

Report from the workshop (in polish) was published on page: https://sendzimir.org.pl/projekty/miejskie-ekosystemy-dolin-rzecznych/zarzadzanie-miejskimi-dolinami-rzecznymi-raport-z-seminariow-eksperckich/

1. River valleys perception survey (July-September 2022)

The study of the Warsaw rivers in the eyes of residents was devoted to urban rivers and their accompanying watercourses and riverside areas. Its goal was to learn how residents perceive urban river valleys and how they use them.

We conducted it among 540 residents using a geo survey. We asked respondents to answer questions regarding the following issues:

• Rivers in the city – functions and benefits,
• What threatens us from rivers, and how do we threaten rivers?
• How should we protect the natural potential of rivers?
• Warsaw’s rivers are not only the Vistula,
• An ideal city with rivers as its element.

Report from the workshop (in polish) was published on page: https://sendzimir.org.pl/projekty/miejskie-ekosystemy-dolin-rzecznych/rzeki-warszawy-w-oczach-mieszkancow-raport-z-badania-geoankietowego/

1. Training program on Urban river valley ecosystems (1st half 2023)

The two-stage program used the knowledge gained from expert meetings and the perception survey results. We addressed it to the decision-makers and specialists.

1. 1. The program included a 1,5-month e-learning course (March 6-April 14, 2023) in which all interested persons could participate. 217 people took part in the course.

The course had three parts:

• mapping and assessment of urban river valley ecosystem value;
• best practices for sustainable management in river valleys;
• conducting education and information campaigns for river valleys’ protection.

In addition, the programme also had three thematic stationary training courses in which the best graduates of online training took part. Realising them, we cooperated closely with the selected cities to enable the participants to work on real-life problems. Furthermore, the solutions developed during the workshops were made available to the host cities to allow their implementation in the future.

1. 1. Restoration of urban rivers. Designing nature-based solutions for sustainable catchment management, Kraków, May 15–19, 2023.

The urban section of the Rudawa River in Krakow, covered with embankments, became a testing ground. 17 participants of the training deepened their knowledge and based on it created the concept of rebuilding this river ecosystem – for nature and residents.

The training was intended for people specializing in designing and planning restoration projects. Therefore, they included representatives of water administration, local government, government and design offices. The goals of the training were:

• deepening knowledge about renaturalization, understood as an activity supporting the restoration of the state of an ecosystem or natural processes taking place in an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed;
• understanding what determines the scope of activities aimed at restoring river ecosystems and how to plan such activities using a real example.

1. 1. Conducting social and educational campaigns about river valley ecosystems, Wrocław, May 30–31, 2023

For two sunny days, 15 participants of the training in Wrocław discussed how to convince decision-makers and city residents that healthy ecosystems of urban river valleys provide numerous services thanks to which life in the city is healthier, biodiversity develops, and flood risk is reduced.

The training was intended for representatives of science, non-governmental organizations, and public institutions dealing with education or social campaigns. The aim of the training was:

Deepening understanding of issues related to the assessment of ecosystem services and their perception by city residents,

Developing skills in conducting effective campaigns and educational programs using data on ecosystem services addressed to various target groups.

The concepts of campaigns that the participants developed during the workshop were presented at the summary meeting and discussed with the guests.

1. 1. Shaping waterfronts, Warsaw, September 6–8, 2023

Służewski Stream is the last small river in Warsaw with natural waters. However, its valley has long lost its natural character – in some places, it is regulated; in some areas, it flows underground, dammed up in ponds; it serves mainly to drain excess rainwater, which is why it overflows from a too-narrow bed after heavy rains and floods the streets.
18 participants of the training, together with experts, discussed changes that should be introduced. The goal of the intervention would be to regain its ability to regulate water flows and increase its retention capacity. In addition, all actions must enhance biodiversity and simultaneously strengthen the recreation potential for residents.
We addressed the training to people specializing in river valley management, including representatives of water and local government administration. Therefore, our goal was to disseminate knowledge about the assessment of ecosystem services and instruments that enable the management of river valleys in cities without losing the services they provide.
The knowledge provided was the basis for developing a concept that could become the basis for the city’s activities in managing the Służewski Stream.

1. The study visit in Norway (27–28 September 2023)

The visit to Norway was organized by the project partner Phronesis SA. 12 people, representatives of Polish local governments, took part in it.

The visit aimed to learn about exemplary solutions for restoring river valleys’ ecosystem services in Oslo’s urban areas. Participants learned about local policies and development plans for river valleys. The project partner presented previously developed case studies. We saw examples of good practice in the field.

The visit allowed the participants to establish contacts with representatives of Norwegian institutions.

1. Publication “River in the City” (October 2023)

We published a practical guide in the Sustainable Development – Applications publishing series, which the Sendzimir Foundation has developed for years.

We included the knowledge acquired during the project in the guide. Among others, we presented inspiring examples of good practices implemented to protect urban river valleys, increase the efficiency of their service delivery, and effectively communicate these topics. Examples come from Poland and around the world. In addition, the project partner Phronesis SA described case studies from Norway. We paid attention to the challenges in the sustainable management of river valleys and presented legal and organizational solutions that allow for better management of river valley resources.

The guide has a practical character. Furthermore, the scientific editors, Jakub Kronenberg, PhD (University of Lodz), Tomasz Bergier, PhD (AGH University), and Iwona Wagner, PhD, ensured a high substantive level. We have subjected the publication to a scientific review.

The printed edition (1,200 copies) was sent to decision-makers, specialists, and libraries. The electronic version of the publication in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats can be found here (Polish version only): https://sendzimir.org.pl/projekty/miejskie-ekosystemy-dolin-rzecznych/rzeka-w-miescie-nr-7-2023/

1. Final conference (7–8 October 2023)

During the event, we summarized the effects of the activities carried out in the project and shared the acquired knowledge with the participants. Over 120 specialists, representatives of cities and non-governmental organizations from all over Poland took part in it.

The reflections from the conference can be found here: https://sendzimir.org.pl/en/projects/urban-river-valleys-ecosystems/the-river-in-the-city-conference-how-to-rebuild-the-lost-potential-of-river-ecosystems/

1. Website

We developed the website https://uslugiekosystemow.pl/, created within the framework of the project Ecosystem services for sustainable urban development and expanded in subsequent projects. You can find there numerous articles where we share knowledge and best practices (in Polish only).

• 2 Expert workshops about the challenges of managing river valleys to support the optimal use of their ecosystem services, participation of 35 experts – preparation of a report that became the basis for developing a training program and a publication;
• 1 River valleys perception survey, 540 respondents – preparation of a report that became the basis for developing a training program, communication and publication;
• 1 e-learning course for 217 people – raising the competencies of decision-makers and specialists, who are responsible for the renaturalization and maintenance of river valleys
• 3 thematic stationary training courses for 50 participants, 8 days in total – raising the competencies of decision-makers and specialists,  who are responsible for the renaturalization and maintenance of river valleys, preparation of project concepts for Wrocław, Kraków and Warsaw (cities where the workshops were held) relating to the training topics (e.g. renaturalization of the urban section of the river in Kraków)
• 1 study visit in Norway for 12 participants (10 decision-makers from cities  – raising the competencies of decision-makers and specialists, who are responsible for the renaturalization and maintenance of river valleys, promotion of good practices from Oslo during the conference, on uslugiekosystemow.pl website, social media channels and articles.
• 1 publication River in the City, in the Sustainable Development – Applications publishing series (Paper version – 1200 copies, distributed among local governments, libraries and specialists, the  electronic version in 3 formats (PDF, ePUB, Mobi))
• 1 final conference for 122 people – networking of specialists from various institutions, exchange of good practices and experiences
• Over 300 000 recipients of Communication activities (social media, newsletters, websites, magazines) – increasing knowledge about the importance of river ecosystem services.

Summary of bilateral results

Cooperation with a foreign partner, allowed for a better understanding of Norway''s experience in river restoration, building the involvement of local communities around river protection. During the project:- identified and described good practices from Oslo, which were used to develop articles for the uslugiekosystemow.pl website and case studies from Norway in the publication "River in the City",- acquired experts presenting good practices in the field of local policies, river restoration, and cooperation with local communities, which were presented at 3 webinars for training participants and published in the Sendzimir Foundation websides and social media,- organized a study visit to Oslo, for specialists from Poland. The visit aimed to learn about exemplary solutions for restoring river valleys’ ecosystem services in Oslo’s urban areas. Participants learned about local policies and development plans for river valleys. The project partner presented previously developed case studies. We saw examples of good practice in the field. We met with experts and activists from Oslo (including representatives of the city hall and the Oslo River Forum). The knowledge acquired during the visit was presented on the uslugiekosystemow.pl website and during the closing project conference.The donor project partner allowed us to identify good practices and reach local experts. He presented Oslo''s unique experiences in the dialogue between authorities and social movements.Describe the main results a bilateral level•Report “Urban river valleys ecosystems – ten best practices”•3 webinars with experts from Oslo (the representatives of City Hall and Oslo River Forum)•The study visit in Norway (27-28 September 2023)The invitation to Phronesis SA to cooperate on the project was the result of earlier visits of foundation employees to Norway and contacts established at that time. In the future, depending on the needs and possibilities, cooperation will be continued.