EDITORIALS

My Rivers
Emanuele Bompan

My childhood memories are tied to the local Lura stream. Largely covered over, the peculiarity of the Lura was that its waters changed colour every week. Sad, harnessed waters, toxic and foul-smelling. A memory still vivid in my brain, indelible. A picture still experienced first-hand by many communities around the world.

Investing in Regeneration
Stuart Orr

Rivers are among the most important, productive and biodiverse systems on Earth, and are fundamental in the global efforts to adapt to the increasingly severe impacts of climate change. In spite of that, the state of many of the world’s rivers is far from where it should be.

THINK TANK

The Right to be a River
Interview with Erin O’Donnell
Giorgia Marino
Over the past decade, many rivers around the world have been granted legal personhood or recognised in their entirety as living entities. The idea has the potential to revolutionise legal systems but also, and above all, our relationship with nature.

Shared Waters, Shared Decisions
Interview with Eric Tardieu
Giorgio Kaldor
Transparent data, clear regulations, and equitable financing: the Secretary General of the International Network of Basin Organisations shares insights on transforming fragmented water governance into effective cooperation.

The Po’s Resilience
Interview with Alessandro Bratti
Emanuele Bompan
The Po basin is home to one third of Italy's population and is a cornerstone of the country's economy. Therefore, it is strategically vital that the area's climate resilience and the protection of its ecosystems are managed through effective integrated governance.

INSIGHT

Free To Flow: The Fragile Success of River Renaturalisation
Marco Ranocchiari
Restoring rivers to their natural course, freeing them from dams and concrete, is an increasingly widespread practice in Europe and around the world. However, growing anthropisation and an uncertain political climate are putting its continuity at risk.

Clearing Rivers of Plastic: Do Nets and Barriers Really Work?
Tosca Ballerini

Nets, floating barriers, rotating interceptors: over a hundred different technologies are used to remove plastic waste from waterways. Yet despite their popularity, hardly any studies have verified their effectiveness and impact.

Climate Crisis Rocks the Water Tower of Asia
Giorgia Marino

The glaciers of the Hindu Kush Himalayas supply the sources of ten of Asia’s most precious rivers, on which the livelihoods of around two billion people depend, directly or indirectly. But today, climate change is disrupting a balance that seemed immutable.

Energy from the Water
Giorgio Kaldor

In a world increasingly dominated by variable renewable energies, hydroelectric power is back at the centre of the debate on energy security, electrical systems flexibility and sustainable water resource management.

Sand: The Grey Gold Which Builds and Consumes the World
Antonella Ilaria Totaro

The largest form of mining in the world, sand, has a heavy impact on river basins, with environmental and social consequences often difficult to monitor. But today, the circular economy and materials science are seeking alternative solutions.

Between Tradition and Hi-tech: New Approaches to Freshwater Aquaculture
Lucrezia Lenardon

From a long tradition of ponds to current challenges, freshwater aquaculture has great potential to cater to the growing demand for fish products, with greater attention to the environment.

The Slow Charm of River Tourism
Marco Morello

From the classic Nile cruise to a floating dinner on the Danube, to sporting experiences in kayaks or canoes. River tourism is a booming market, providing relaxation, leisure and culture. As well as being more sustainable than a cruise on the open sea.

The Lagoon’s Fragile Balance: Sandbanks, Soils and Shifting Ecosystems
Michela Seresini

The Venice lagoon is a complex ecosystem, sculpted over centuries, in which nature collides with human intervention. Today, it must contend with the climate crisis and the need to adapt.

The Po River Basin: A Governance Workshop for Land Conservation
Stefania Divertito

Today, the Po River Basin is confronted with enormous challenges: the climate crisis, pollution, depopulation of villages, loss of biodiversity. The River Basin Authority is consequently attempting to transform planning into an all-round land care model.

CASE STUDIES

Acque Bresciane, Nature as a Strategy
Lucrezia Lenardon

From the wetlands of the Torbiere del Sebino to the banks of the Oglio River, Acque Bresciane is investing in reforestation and habitat restoration to protect biodiversity and generate benefits for local ecosystems.

Gruppo CAP: How Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Protect River Health
Francesca Conti

In the Milan metropolitan area, 40 wastewater treatment plants and advanced monitoring technologies, integrated with Nature-based Solutions, help safeguard the health of river ecosystems.

Digitalisation Makes Water Smart
Marco Ranocchiari

From automated canals to digital twins, irrigation networks are entering a phase of transformation involving consortia, businesses and farmers. ANBI, the organisation representing Italian irrigation consortia, tells the story.

Fondazione UNA Proposes Including Hunting Reserves Among Protected Areas
Marco Ranocchiari

The Italian non-profit’s initiative aims to have sustainable hunting reserves recognised as OECMs, contributing to European goals for land protection and biodiversity conservation.

STARTUP
Antonella Ilaria Totaro
CarbonRun restores river health with crushed limestone
Fishcon: technology to help fish pass through dams and hydropower plants
HyaPak, biodegradable plastic made from water hyacinths
RiverRecycle, the plastic collection service that gets communities involved

OUROBOROS
The Seine Shows River Restoration is Possible. But we Must Stop Waiting for Spectacle
Ana Birliga Sutherland

For over a century, the Seine has been treated as an open sewer. The global spotlight of the 2024 Summer Olympics, however, forced a reckoning: although plans to clean the river had been in the works for years, tying them to the Olympic bid acted as a catalyst.

CIRCULAR FUTURES: DISPATCHES FROM TOMORROW

2053: Rivers – Regenerating the Planet’s Arteries
Patrick Schröder

It’s the year 2053. After a crisis lasting years, the rivers are entering the regeneration phase. The combination of policies and innovation finally started showing some results, and society has changed the way we look at waterways: no longer treated as waste conduits or boundaries on maps, but as actual planetary arteries, sustaining ecological and human wellbeing.

ESG VALUE

Trentino, Land of ESG
Renata Diazzi

In a global context in which competitiveness, innovation and sustainability can no longer move forward on separate tracks, Trentino has chosen to embrace a development model capable of integrating them in a single shared vision.

READING MATTER
Flowing Words
Giorgia Marino
Rivers are sources of biodiversity, creators of civilisations, means of connection, dynamic ecosystems. And they are, certainly, alive. Three books explore the ecological, economic, spiritual and cultural importance of waterways through travel, history and photography.