How economic thinking can help us restore Europe's freshwaters

How economic thinking can help us restore Europe's freshwaters

In October 2023, the WWF released a major report stating that freshwater has long been significantly undervalued in global economies, leading to widespread environmental costs. The report estimates that the annual economic value of water and freshwater ecosystems globally is $58 trillion – a figure equivalent to 60% of global Gross Domestic Product (or GDP). This startling figure was calculated by estimating the economic value that rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands generate to human societies. The report showed that freshwater ecosystems are not only vital for sustaining everyday societies, but they also provide invaluable life-support systems which help maintain the health of both people and the planet. In this episode of the MERLIN podcast co-hosts Rob St John and Sien Kok deep-dive into key topics around the economics of water.

Rob and Sien explore how economic thinking can help make more informed decisions about how to manage freshwater ecosystems, and similarly how it can strengthen arguments over the pressing need to conserve and restore them. We hear expert perspectives from three individuals working in water economics in Europe – Eduard Interwies, Phillipe Le Coent and Rob van der Veeren – alongside an ecologist's perspective from MERLIN project leader Daniel Hering. The interviews introduce key concepts such as cost-benefit analysis, water pricing and the polluter pays principle, and how they relate to policies like the EU Nature Restoration Law and Water Framework Directive, and environmental management approaches like nature-based solutions.

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Avsnitt(16)

Four years, 18 sites, one mission: bringing Europe's freshwaters back to life

Four years, 18 sites, one mission: bringing Europe's freshwaters back to life

In March 2026, MERLIN scientific coordinator Daniel Hering stood before a Brussels room full of European policymakers and set out what four years of freshwater restoration had found. The evidence is c...

21 Apr 34min

How do you mainstream freshwater restoration across an entire continent?

How do you mainstream freshwater restoration across an entire continent?

The Nature Restoration Regulation is now European law. National Restoration Plans are being written. The targets are set. So why does transformative, large-scale ecological restoration remain so stubb...

7 Apr 45min

How can water-friendly farming be mainstreamed in Europe?

How can water-friendly farming be mainstreamed in Europe?

Freshwater restoration should be at the heart of how farming is managed in Europe, according to new recommendations.Reshaping the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to support freshwater ecosystems by e...

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Sharing cutting-edge information on freshwater restoration in the MERLIN Academy

Sharing cutting-edge information on freshwater restoration in the MERLIN Academy

In this podcast we take a tour of the MERLIN Academy, an online platform which offers free resources and training to support researchers, practitioners and policy makers in applying cutting-edge fresh...

19 Nov 202530min

 How nature-based solutions can support people and nature in freshwater restoration

How nature-based solutions can support people and nature in freshwater restoration

Harnessing the potential of natural processes in freshwater restoration can create significant ecological, social and economic benefits, according to a major new report. Researchers from the MERLIN pr...

21 Aug 202523min

Communicating why freshwater restoration is vital

Communicating why freshwater restoration is vital

Restoring our natural ecosystems is a task that is never really finished: science progresses; governments change; technology advances; society shifts; funding pots appear and disappear. And all the ti...

26 Maj 202530min

Restoring Europe's landscapes through the Green Deal and Nature Restoration Law

Restoring Europe's landscapes through the Green Deal and Nature Restoration Law

In this podcast we take a behind the scenes look at environmental restoration in Europe on the cusp of what will likely prove to be a transformative year. First, we find out about the EU’s big environ...

23 Jan 202544min

Why community matters to freshwater restoration

Why community matters to freshwater restoration

It's increasingly recognised that restoring damaged ecosystems is not only about improving habitats for wildlife, it is also vital to consider the needs of the people who live and work in a restoratio...

28 Okt 202458min

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