5th Iberian Congress on River Restoration in Soria, Spain
BRF took part in the 5th Iberian Congress on River Restoration (RestauraRios2026), held in Soria, bringing together more than 460 people working on rivers across Spain and Europe. The congress provided a key meeting point for researchers, practitioners, and policy representatives to exchange knowledge and experiences on river restoration, connectivity, and ecosystem recovery across different catchments.
During the event, Adela Baratech from BRF presented the new Barrier Tracker v2 app. This updated version of the tool has been developed to improve overall functionality and to include lateral barriers, expanding its capacity to better reflect real river fragmentation.
A key aspect of this work is the contribution of thousands of citizens who actively support data collection. Their involvement helps fill critical gaps in existing barrier inventories and provides a more complete understanding of how fragmented our river systems are. This shared effort is essential to improving knowledge and informing effective restoration strategies.
Beyond the technical sessions, the congress offered a valuable opportunity to engage with peers across the sector, share perspectives, and explore ongoing challenges and approaches in river management.
Achieving more connected and free-flowing rivers depends on this kind of collaborative approach, where science, institutions, and citizens work together to generate and share knowledge.
Many thanks to the organisers: CIREF Centro Ibérico de Restauración Fluvial, Wetlands International Europe, Confederación Hidrográfica del Duero, LIFE Programes, and Ayuntamiento de Soria, as well as all participants for the exchange and collaboration throughout the event.