Restore4Life Web Platform: A Decision-Support and Engagement System for Wetland Restoration Across the Danube Basin

The Restore4Life Web Platform is being developed to support wetland restoration across the Danube Basin by integrating Earth observation, in situ monitoring, stakeholder knowledge, and decision-support tools. Designed under the Restore4Life Horizon Europe project, the platform provides a dynamic interface for data visualization, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based policy and restoration planning. Building on lessons from eLTER and LifeWatch infrastructures, the platform functions as a centralized hub for identifying, prioritizing, and monitoring potential and ongoing wetland restoration actions. It incorporates historical land use and wetland distribution data, real-time hydrological and climatic inputs, and high-resolution satellite imagery (e.g., Copernicus Sentinel missions), enabling integrated spatial-temporal analysis at multiple scales.

Key components include: a) Stakeholder & Policy Dashboard – Visualizing restoration progress, land use change, and ecosystem service indicators relevant for policy targets (e.g., EU Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Law); b) Decision Support System (DSS) – Supporting the selection and prioritization of wetland reconstruction areas based on ecological, hydrological, and socio-economic criteria; c) Citizen Science & Community Tools – Enabling participatory mapping, monitoring, and knowledge exchange, with a special focus on local communities and landowners;
d) Business & Finance Tools – Connecting restoration initiatives with ecosystem-based financing, carbon credits, and nature-based enterprise models; e) Learning & Communication Hub – Providing access to case studies, good practices, training modules, and outreach materials;
f) Interoperable Data Integration – Ensuring compatibility with Copernicus, national monitoring systems, and European environmental infrastructures (e.g., LifeWatch, eLTER, ICOS). Designed around FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles, the Restore4Life platform aims to foster cross-sectoral collaboration, transparent data sharing, and adaptive ecosystem management. It acts as a strategic enabler of large-scale, science-based wetland restoration in line with EU ecological and climate resilience goals.

This article was developed as part of Restoration of wetland complexes as life supporting systems in the Danube Basin (Restore4Life)  funded by the European Commission Horizon Europe programme (101112736). Restore4life is part of the EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters which aims to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement and blue investments.