Preparing to free the Gowienica River: Next steps towards a Wilder Oder Delta
Thanks to funding support from the Open Rivers Programme, a vital next step towards restoring nature and biodiversity in the Baltic region has begun.
Thanks to funding support from the Open Rivers Programme, a vital next step towards restoring nature and biodiversity in the Baltic region has begun.
Thanks to continued support from the Open Rivers Programme, a new restoration project will remove two barriers on the Wołczenica River and one on the Sławęcinka River. This will open 47 kilometres of free-flowing water for fish and other aquatic wildlife. The intervention will halt harmful riverbed erosion, bring back more natural river flows, and strengthen the region’s resilience to climate change.
Beavers had been almost completely eradicated in Europe, but their return to the Peene River 50 years ago marked a turning point for natural climate protection. Beavers have a significant impact on our waters: they build dams out of branches, mud and wood, which dam up the water and create ponds, shallow water zones and wetlands. In doing so, the beaver creates the foundations for life that ensure the survival of many species, e.g. food sources and breeding grounds. It thus ensures the creation of new habitats for numerous animal and plant species in the region, such as the bulbous snail, brook lamprey, river lamprey and otter.
Upon invitation of Rewilding Oder Delta, around 30 representatives of various stakeholder groups such as Bauernverband Ostvorpommern and Tourismusverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, state authorities from Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as federal authorities met on July 9th and 10th 2024 in Stralsund to talk about the restoration and benefits of salt marshes.
On 25th and 26th September 2025, the EnviroSustain team returned to our rewilding centre in Glashütte for two team days to support with hands on actions: Equipped with pliers crimpers and spades the team worked hard by not only removing about 50 m of old fencing on Rewilding Oder Delta’s property but also clearing the … Continued
The Baltic Sea is in crisis – overfertilisation, intensive use and the loss of valuable habitats are taking their toll. At the same time, current projects by Rewilding Oder Delta and partners show that solutions are possible: sustainable fishing, restoration of seagrass meadows and reefs, more dialogue across national borders. At the international conference ‘Sea of Opportunities’ in Stralsund, concrete steps were discussed – and a strong network was established to promote the protection of the Baltic Sea in the future.
On 26–27 September 2025, Polish-German workshops will take place in Zalesie near Szczecin and in Rothenklempenow. The event “Im Dialog über den Wolf – Sicheres Zusammenleben in Vorpommern / Rozmowy o wilkach – bezpieczne współistnienie na Pomorzu Przednim” aims to build trust, expand knowledge, and develop practical tools and strategies to reduce conflicts and support living alongside wolves and people.
Around 40 experts from research, administration, and practice accepted the invitation from Rewilding Oder Delta e.V. in cooperation with Kiel Marine Science at Kiel University (CAU) to develop recommendations for the reintroduction of seagrass meadows in the Baltic Sea in a two-day workshop. In addition to exciting expert input, the focus was on exchange, cooperation, and shared experiences—a strong symbol for restoration in research and practice.
Successful expert workshop by Rewilding Oder Delta offers new impulses for restoring dynamic coastal ecosystems. At the invitation of Rewilding Oder Delta e.V., around 35 representatives from public authorities, science, conservation, tourism and land use gathered on the island of Poel and near Kühlungsborn, Germany, for a two-day workshop to develop recommendations for the restoration and protection of sand habitats along the Baltic coast. The focus: balancing conservation and human use while involving local actors from the very beginning – a forward-looking contribution to implementing the EU Nature Restoration Law.
Join our team as a communications officer (m/f/d) on the Polish side of our organisation in the Oder Delta.