A catalogue of NBS measures for drying river networks

A catalogue of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) measures for drying river networks developed in the Horizon 2020 project DRYvER.

The catalogue is available for download in pdf or on the Zenodo portal:

A catalogue of NBS measures for drying river networks

 

Abstract

Because shifts from permanent to intermittent flow regimes represent major tipping points for rivers, with often irreversible environmental and societal consequences, the DRYvER project set out to collect, analyse, and model data from nine drying river networks (DRNs) in Europe and South America in order to craft strategies, tools, and recommendations for adaptive management of river networks. With this catalogue, we attempt to list a selection of mitigation and adaptation measures aimed at securing biodiversity, functional integrity, and ecosystem services of drying river networks in the face of climate change. It is our objective to provide examples about the range of measures that can be integrated to form Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), which can be applied to remedy and/or reverse the drying of the local freshwater ecosystems. However, the effectiveness of the measures from this catalogue will vary greatly according to the specific location of their implementation, and sometimes drying cannot be completely mitigated due to the overwhelming impacts of climate change. Finally, the intensification of the scientific research on drying rivers in recent years offers hope that many innovative measures to mitigate drying have yet to be developed. The introductory Background section offers an overview of the status and pressures on intermittent ecosystems and explains some of the basic concepts that help us understand and sustainably manage these fragile ecosystems. Next, the NBS definition section provides a review of NBS and similar concepts, defines NBS, and explains what NBS are not. Lastly, the main body of the catalogue is a compilation of measures, with a short description, a figure, a short explanation of the measure’s benefits to the water balance, and three examples of implementation for each measure. The references section will allow the reader to easily find sources of information for further reading and deeper understanding of the subject.

Keywords: Nature-based solutions, restoration, nature, dry, river, ecosystem, mitigation, adaptation, climate change

Citation:

Pengal, P. (2025). A catalogue of NBS measures for drying river networks. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14895240