From 3 to 6 November 2025, the RESTORE4CS Autumn School took place in Malaga (Spain). This event brought together scientists, policymakers, managers and restoration stakeholders with a common goal: to promote the restoration of coastal areas and wetlands in Europe in order to improve climate resilience.
The RESTORE4Cs Autumn School: four days of discussion and training
This autumn school brought together participants from across Europe, as well as Algeria, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, for four intensive days of training and discussion.
The programme was marked by several highlights:
- Scientific and technical sessions: Experts shared their latest work on greenhouse gas (GHG) flows, wetland ecosystem modelling, the development of monitoring indicators, as well as wetland mapping and monitoring methodologies: all essential scientific foundations for an effective restoration.
- Practical demonstrations: participants could discover and test the RESTORE4Cs Online Platform and Toolbox. Designed to facilitate decision-making on wetland restoration, these tools were shared during interactive sessions, allowing the gathering of valuable feedback for their finalisation.
- Dialogue between science and policy: the last day was entirely devoted to a meeting between the scientific community and policymakers. It ended with an open discussion between the institutional actors present and the researchers, with the goal of promoting the restoration and conservation of coastal wetlands in Europe as concrete solutions for mitigating the effects of climate change.
The RESTORE4Cs Online Platform and Toolbox
The core of the RESTORE4Cs project is a digital Platform dedicated to European wetlands and coastal areas. Designed to support decision-making, this digital tool aims to assist public authorities, managers and civil society actors in their efforts to identify wetlands in need of restoration and define the actions required.
More than a data repository, the RESTORE4Cs Toolbox and Online Platform will enable users to:
- Prioritise coastal wetlands for restoration based on multiple criteria (level of degradation, ecological relevance, potential ecosystem service contributions, etc.)
- Assess their conservation status
- Help meet key policy frameworks at the European level (Nature Restoration Regulation, European directives, etc.)
Developed in collaboration with future users, based on their needs and feedback, these tools draw on the results of the various components of the RESTORE4Cs project. By supporting the various stakeholders in the preservation and restoration of coastal wetlands, its objective is to enhance the services that these wetlands provide to society in the fight against climate change.
RESTORE4Cs: European coordination for the preservation of coastal wetlands
The RESTORE4Cs project is funded by the Horizon Europe programme. It addresses a major environmental challenge: enhancing and optimising the role of European coastal wetlands in mitigating the effects of climate change. Capable of trapping carbon and greenhouse gases, and vital to the water cycle and the biodiversity, these ecosystems are among the richest and most productive on the planet, yet also among the most threatened.
Through a network of European partners, RESTORE4Cs aims to produce robust scientific knowledge and operational tools for more effective management and wider restoration of these environments. The success of this training session shows that, together, we can develop the knowledge, community and momentum needed for the proper management and restoration of wetlands across Europe.
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