The “Mediterranean REsilient inSular Ephemeral sTreams (Med-RESET)” project has been launched with great excitement! It aims to re-introduce the traditional practice of constructing stone-built weirs on ephemeral streams in arid Mediterranean islands as a green infrastructure for aquifer enrichment, flood and drought risk reduction and biodiversity enhancement, thus contributing to climate crisis resilience. Its pilot demonstration will be implemented on the Cycladic Island of Ios, Greece.
Water availability, the conservation of important ecosystems and species and well-designed water resource management methods are some of the issues that need to be tackled in insular communities. Addressing them is crucial for the protection of the environment and the well-being of local communities and has become even more urgent in the face of the climate crisis.
Drawing from knowledge on tradition, international practice and literature, as well as from the successful reintroduction of stone-built weirs on ephemeral streams in Kythera in 2020 and in Paros in 2022, we are looking forward to our intervention on the island of Ios that aims to not only construct and monitor the impact of stone built weirs but also engage with the local community and a national and international audience.
Med-RESET comes to expand knowledge on the impact of stone-built weirs on biodiversity, flood risk and aquifer recharge and pave the way for new applications of this practice as a Nature-based Solution (NbS) that contributes to climate change resilience through its multiple environmental benefits to be applied in more islands across Greece and the Mediterranean.
Stay tuned to MedINA’s social media platforms for more information!
The project Med-RESET benefits from the support of the Donors’ Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems (DIMFE). It is co-funded by the Municipality of Ios and implemented under the coordination of MedINA in collaboration with Boulouki, Save Ios and WWF Hellas.
Featured image: The Med-RESET project area in Ios. © G. Koutropoulos/Boulouki
