MedINA is participating in the new project START (Sarantaporos: Towards ARTificial barrier removal), an important initiative aiming to scientifically assess the impacts of artificial barriers on the Sarantaporos River and explore the conditions required for restoring its free-flowing state.
The project is funded by the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA) and coordinated by the School of Rural, Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). As part of the project, a comprehensive hydrological and hydraulic study of the Sarantaporos River catchment will be conducted, which aims to improve understanding of the river system’s function and provide scientific evidence to support future barrier removal actions.
In June 2026, the first field visits to the Sarantaporos River were carried out. During these visits, the scientific team of the NTUA, with the participation of the MedINA team, initiated measurements of flow velocity, discharge and physicochemical water parameters. The data collected throughout the project will contribute to the comprehensive hydrological and hydraulic assessment of the river, by providing the scientific evidence required for the development of the study.
Fieldwork activities on the Sarantaporos River, carried out within the framework of the START project © Aris Giannoukos / MedINA
In the coming period, particular emphasis will be placed on the participation of local communities, ensuring that scientific knowledge is combined with dialogue and collaboration among all relevant stakeholders. Through participatory processes, the project aims to contribute to building a shared vision for the restoration of the free flow of Sarantaporos River by removing artificial barriers.
START project is expected to enhance scientific knowledge on river functioning, support evidence-based decision-making regarding the removal of artificial barriers and constitute another important step towards the protection and restoration of free-flowing rivers in Greece. This initiative builds upon MedINA’s long-standing presence and work in the Sarantaporos River, as it draws on the results of the MapStream project, during which more than 200 artificial barriers were mapped across the river’s hydrographic network. Building on this experience, MedINA will provide specialised scientific support to the NTUA and will contribute to fieldwork activities, the organisation of participatory actions, and the communication and dissemination of project results. START strengthens efforts to restore river connectivity in Greece through scientifically robust and socially inclusive approaches.