The Timis River before restoration: building an ecosystem baseline
What does the ecosystem look like before Nature-based Solutions are implemented? This is the question addressed by the ecosystem baseline assessment currently underway in the LAND4CLIMATE pilot area, on the middle section of the Timiș river. During this stage, we are mapping flora and fauna, identifying existing habitats, and perform physic-chemical and biological water quality analyses. The collected data will serve as the reference point for the long-term monitoring and evaluation of the effects of the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) implemented in the pilot area, by comparing the ecosystem's condition before and after the restoration interventions. Once the design stage has been completed, we will implement NbS to restore habitats and reconnect them hydrologically to the Timiș river. These green interventions aim to increase ecosystem resilience to climate change by enhancing the natural water storage capacity of wetlands, reducing flood and drought risks and restoring the ecological functions of habitats that are now degraded.
Through the implementation of NbS, aquatic ecosystems will gradually regain their natural capacity for self-regulation and self-purification. Plants, fish, birds and other wildlife will contribute to restoring the natural balance of wetlands, while NbS will ensure the continuity of natural processes. As a result, degraded land will be transformed into functional ecosystems, generating benefits for biodiversity, water quality, climate change adaptation, with the socio-economic and environmental development of the area. In the years to come, these wetlands will be much more than restored habitats for plants and wildlife, they will become places where people can reconnect with nature. Not only children will have the opportunity to learn about biodiversity, but the entire community can benefit from a healthier river and a peaceful green oasis close to the noise of the city, a place of refuge where nature can regain its rhythm and people will rediscover the beauty of the Timiș river.
This article was written by Sorina Neaga from LAND4CLIMATE consortium partner Banat Water Basin Administration
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