The University is part of a €6.2M project to produce the first comprehensive map of river barriers across Europe and help to reconnect its rivers.
The Adaptive Management of Barriers in European Rivers (AMBER) multi-disciplinary research project is an EC Horizon 2020 funded collaboration with 20 partners from 11 countries.
The project will encourage citizens to become involved in efforts to reconnect Europe’s rivers by mapping the location of more than one million barriers and assessing their impacts on freshwater species and ecosystems with the help of a smartphone app.
The University research team will receive just over €400,000 to help develop more effective fish passes,which will enable fish to get past dams and weirs in an effort to restore dwindling populations.
Professor Paul Kemp from the University’s International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research (ICER), along with postdoctoral researchers Andrew Vowles and Jim Kerr, will conduct innovative research using ICER’s large-scale flume facilities at the Chilworth Science Park. The aim is to determine the swimming capabilities and behavioural response of seldom considered, yet often overlooked, species of high conservation concern to hydrodynamics.
Professor Kemp said:
“Knowing which barriers to mitigate, and which ones to optimise, is key for effective restoration of stream connectivity. Our aim is to apply adaptive barrier management to help reconnect Europe’s rivers, the smart way. We will make the first global assessment of stream connectivity across Europe, and use the power of citizen science and the latest developments in remote sensing, molecular methods and assessment of ecosystem services to prioritise areas for conservation and optimise barrier management.”
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