As EUROLakes enters its first full year of implementation, Work Package 5 (WP5) team has taken a major step forward: the Replication Call for Associated Regions has officially been launched under the lead of the Global Nature Fund (GNF). This milestone marks the moment where the project begins to extend its reach beyond the three demonstration lakes in Italy, Germany and Romania. WP5 is designed to test whether the restoration approaches developed at these sites can be transferred to other European lake landscapes facing similar ecological pressures. At its core, the work package connects scientific insights with practical action, using the 4 Returns Framework to ensure that ecological recovery goes hand in hand with social, economic and inspirational benefits.
The call offers local and regional authorities the opportunity to co-develop and implement nature-based solutions for lake restoration with expert support from the EUROLakes team. Three selected regions will receive financial assistance and tailored mentoring to design restoration measures aligned with the project’s methodologies. This work builds directly on outcomes from previous work packages of consortium partners, such as monitoring indicators, socio-economic evaluation and impact assessment tools.
With the publication of the Call for Proposals in mid-October 2025, the first major phase has been successfully completed. The next steps in early 2026 include evaluating the applications received, signing the grant agreements with the three chosen replication lakes, and launching the co-development phase with the selected regions. This will involve workshops, mentoring, and continuous monitoring to ensure that the 4 Returns principles are effectively implemented in each new site. By scaling up the lessons learned, WP5 makes a vital contribution to improving the restoration and governance of freshwater ecosystems across Europe and ensuring the long-term impact of EUROLakes beyond its demonstration sites.
Contributor: GNF