Current activities of Europe’s informationexchange network and river policies
Jukka Jormola
Landscape Architect,ECRR/Finnish Environment
Institute SYKE, Finland
9.11.2006 Tokyo• Looking forward for ARRN
• European Centre for River Restoration ECRR
• Examples and policy of river restoration inEurope

Establishment of ARRN
• Exchange of experiences– fastets way for policychange• Methods and ideas areinternational – solutions
are local• Asian tradition is admired- nature-like solutions inlandscape design• Future ideas for riverrestoration?

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European Centre for River Restoration
ECRR• Established after an EUriver restoration project in
1995, Denmark andUnited Kingdom active• Constituting meeting1999:
22 countries present,
management board wasset up• National representative
organizations in ECRR
• EU –program granted
funding 1999-2002,
secretary in Denmark• Secretary until 2006 atRIZA, the Netherlands• 2007 CIRF in Italy willtake secretary

Activities of ECRR
• Networking - putting
people in touch with eachother• Reporting - newsletters,
Internet www.ecrr.org• Catalogue case studies
and database• Workshops, meeting andconferences• Implementation of EU
water policy• Information outsideEurope• Flood risk management
through river restoration• Demostration projects
and site visits• Cost-benefit of riverrestoration cases• Restoration combinedwith water use –environmental rivermanagement andengineering

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Examples and policy of river restorationin Europe• Water quality rather good after
permit policy since 1970 - ,purification• Ecological structure anddiversity of rivers still bad
because of modifications• EU water policy: good status
for watercourses until 2015
• Each member country fits
goals into own legislation• Discussion in Europe:
restoration of fish populations/increase of hydropower (Kyotoprotocol)• Mitigation measures•

Oulujoki, Finland, 7 powerplants,
only one fishpass, interest forbringing salmon backHydropower and connectivity• Nature-like fishpasses
preferred, slope 0,5
to 10%, all fish
species and bottom
fauna can migrate
Varkaus, Finland• Freudenau, Wien,
Austria - bypass as
restoration of bradedriver system ofDanube river3

Reproduction of fish in hydropower bypasses• Compensation of lost
reproduction areas• Perhonjoki, Finland,gravel beds in bypass• 5,3 m/320 m, slope 1,7 %discharge 0,5-0,9, m3/s

• Combination offishpass andspawning channel(Canada)Floods and restoration• Rhine (The Netherlands,Germany) – from chemical
sewage to salmon river• Room for floods: dam removal,
wetland restoration• Tributary restoration• Stormwater retention in urban
areas• Restoration and flood
management and have same
goals - wetland increase4Erosion and natural morphology• Straightened rivers
with hard protection• Bio-engineering withplants• Isar in Bavaria,
Germany: natural
erosion createsrecreation areas for
Munich city

Urban stream restoration• Urban streams havevalue for green areas andfor migratory fish
• Interest of inhabitants,
positive political stress• Stormwater management
in urban planning• Municipal stream
restoration andstormwater programs• Restoration by volunteers,
spawning trouts, Helsinki city5Restoration and drainage• Maintenence of small
agricultural streams
needs new practices• Natural recovery andrestoration ofstraightened streams
for fish production• Flood terraces forhigh discharge• Longinoja and Viikinoja,
Helsinki city

Restoration after former river use••••••In Scandinavia timber floating needed
river beds clear from stones
Placement of stones back for hiding
place for fish
Restoration goals for straightenedrivers: guiding view (leitbild concept),
based on original natural state,
limitations considered
Ecological and esthetic goals
Best principles of landscape design
can be applied
Myllypuro Brook in Nuuksio Nationalpark, Finland
Natural and restoredsection6