Towards integrated river restoration
The Global Change Ecology Centre invites you to an afternoon symposium on applied freshwater restoration practices, in cooperation with De Vlaamse Waterweg and ANB.
This symposium is organised on the occasion of the public PhD defense of Malaurie Hons.
The symposium and PhD defense will take place on Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at the Promotiezaal in building Q on Campus Drie Eiken, Wilrijk (Antwerp).
This event is free, yet registration is mandatory. You can register for PART 1 (symposium), PART 2 (PhD defense) or both through this link:
You can register till March 11, 2026.
Photo Yves Adams
Symposium
Rivers have been shaped by human activity for centuries. Channelization, embankment, pollution, flow regulation, and land-use change have profoundly altered freshwater systems across Europe, delivering short-term societal benefits at the cost of ecological degradation. Loss of habitat complexity, disrupted connectivity, declining biodiversity, and reduced ecosystem functioning became the norm rather than the exception. By the late 20th century, many rivers were no longer resilient systems, but simplified infrastructures vulnerable to disturbance.
River restoration emerged in response to this legacy, gradually shifting from isolated technical fixes toward more integrated, process-based approaches. Despite substantial effort and investment, important questions remain about how effectively restoration restores ecosystem functioning and long-term ecological resilience.
This mini-symposium reflects on the past, present, and future of river restoration, bringing together insights from monitoring, ecology, and management to critically assess how restoration can better support ecological resilience in a changing world.
Program PART 1
12h30 Welcome and introduction
Jonas Schoelynck, University of Antwerp (Belgium)
12h45 Living Rivers: A Project Biologist’s Approach
Klaas Ryckaert, SBE Engineering (Belgium)
13h05 When flow dies: Ecological implications of stream desiccation in temperate Europe
Christian Feld, University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany)
13h25 Building a Bridge from Research to Practice - Lessons Learned from Five Years of Applied Freshwater Conservation Work Integrating Ecological and Molecular Tools
Melanie Müller, Naquawi (Germany)
13h45 Short break
14h00 Introduction to Sigmaplan: River restoration in the Scheldt Estuary
Michaël Van Rompaey en Bart Van der Aa, De Vlaamse Waterweg / Agentschap Natuur en Bos (Belgium)
14h20 Is remeandering enough? A long-term assessment of lowland river restoration.
Stijn Bruneel, Research Institute for Nature and Forest (Belgium)
14h40 Q&A with all speakers
moderated by Jan Staes, University of Antwerp
15h15 Coffee break and networking
Program PART 2
16h00 Multi-metric ecological assessment across aquatic and riparian ecosystems
Malaurie Hons, University of Antwerp (Belgium)
18h00 End