Rivers around the world have been heavily altered by human activity for centuries. They have long supported transport, energy production, water supply, food systems, and construction, but this intensive use has also led to widespread degradation. Many rivers have lost their natural dynamics through dam construction, land-use change, drainage, and channel modification, reducing their ability to regulate water flow and sustain healthy ecosystems.
These pressures are now being intensified by climate change. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are increasing the frequency and severity of droughts and floods, placing even greater stress on river systems and surrounding landscapes. Lower groundwater levels, reduced water availability, and more extreme runoff events are affecting not only rivers themselves, but also wetlands, forests, agricultural land, and the communities that depend on them.
Healthy riparian ecosystems play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity and maintaining essential ecosystem services. Water flow and natural flooding patterns shape habitats, regulate nutrients, support carbon sequestration, and help sustain plant and animal life. When these systems are degraded, biodiversity declines and the natural processes that make rivers resilient become weaker. This affects water quality, ecological stability, and the long-term capacity of rivers to respond to environmental change.
RECHARGE responds to these challenges by investigating how nature-based solutions and riparian restoration can improve water retention and restore more natural hydrological processes. The project explores the idea of the landscape as a “water battery” (figure below ), where water is stored during wet periods through retention, infiltration, and groundwater recharge, helping reduce the impacts of later droughts and floods.
By studying river basins, wetlands, and river systems across Belgium, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, RECHARGE aims to better understand how upstream interventions can strengthen biodiversity, support ecosystem functioning, and improve resilience under a changing climate.