Networking

Apart from being obligatory, networking with other teams and LIFE projects is considered by LIFE ÁGUEDA partners as a core task, necessary to critically discuss and exchange useful information for the project works as well as for increasing the replication potential of its outputs.

Under sub-action D1.5, networking actions are therefore foreseen by most partners, both electronically and by promotion of direct visits to other projects and/or inviting external teams to visit the project works.

To allow for cost-efficient allocation of resources, the approved proposal foresees from the start that each partner will dedicate its networking efforts to specific subject areas that are seen as priority for the applicable partner subjects, while useful for the whole partnership and project works:

  • the team of the University of Évora Évora/MARE will target other innovation/demonstration projects dealing with the restoration of river continuity;

  • the team from Municipality of Águeda foresees visiting projects that deal mostly with stakeholder engagement in watershed management;

  • the team from the Municipality of Mora will direct efforts to other teams/projects managing aquariums, promoting awareness of the general public and executing ex-situ conservation;

  • the team of AQUALOGUS foresees visiting and networking with other engineering teams dealing with the dismantling of dams and obstacles and the installation of fish passes.

As set in the proposal, all the visits to external teams will be followed by the applicable Networking Synthesis Reports by the participants involved, available for download below. In addition to those and the photos they contain, we suggest a short visit to our Image Gallery, where you will be able to see some photos of our networking with other teams and projects.

Currently, and among others, LIFE ÁGUEDA's team maintains active electronic networking with the following LIFE projects. We suggest that you follow its links and get additional information on them:

   LIFE EEL - Urgent measures in the Eastern Mediterranean for the long-term conservation of endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla)

which is a project managed by Lombardy Region (beneficiary coordinator) and other 8 partners that takes place in Italy, covering the Po River basin and the Delta, and in Greece involving the National Park of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, including the Nesto River basin. It faces the main four threats to eel survival present in project areas: Pressure of fishery and aquaculture, thanks to the development of a protocol for the selection of migrant eels and the increase of their release in the sea, as well as to improve the captive breeding program with the release of juveniles in the wild, trying to arrive at the production of glass eels. Habitat fragmentation and range reduction, thanks to the construction of 7 fish ladders (6 in Italy and 1 in Greece) able to reopen migration route for about 1,000 km of rivers suitable for the species; Turbine mortality, with the experimentation of a deterrent device to prevent the entry of downstream migrating eels in the turbines of hydroelectric plants; Lack of information and stakeholders’ involvement, improving the participation of stakeholders and local communities.