MERLIN
About MERLIN
MERLIN developed and demonstrated approaches to restoring Europe’s rivers, streams, wetlands and peatlands, combining ecological restoration with governance, financing and landscape-scale planning.
This Oppla collection brings together selected MERLIN resources for restoration practitioners, public authorities, researchers and other interested users. Explore the Academy’s four learning modules, policy briefs, sector strategies, webinars and podcasts to support restoration planning and implementation.
MERLIN ran from October 2021 to March 2026. For the full range of project deliverables, case studies and research outputs, visit the official MERLIN website.
MERLIN's Work and Results
Demonstrating Best-practice in Restoration
For 18 flagship restoration projects across Europe, MERLIN analyzes social, economic, and environmental success factors to create a replicable blueprint for implementing nature-based solutions, while investing over €10 million to scale them into leading examples of systemic change.
Green Economy
MERLIN delineates models for private investment into restoration alongside public funding, tailored to contexts specific for economic sectors and countries.
MERLIN’s initiatives maximize synergies across economic sectors, and transparently mediate trade-offs where necessary.
European-scale Restoration
MERLIN identifies high-potential priority landscapes for transformative restoration, focusing on ecosystem services, biodiversity, and climate mitigation and adaptation, while illustrating environmental value chains and the costs, benefits, and green business opportunities of nature-based solutions in selected European regions.
Restoration Training
The MERLIN Academy multiplies the knowledge to mainstream freshwater restoration, addressing the community of practice, restoration project convenors, communities, investors and policy makers.
Mainstreaming Restoration
MERLIN closely collaborates with local communities and key economic sectors such as agriculture, water supply, navigation and insurance industry. Main focus is to co-develop win-win solutions spearheading systemic economic, social and environmental change.
Restoration Marketplace
The MERLIN Marketplace connects restoration actors, offers restoration-related services, and brokers restoration financing.
MERLIN is a "research and innovation action" funded under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme under grant agreement No 101036337.