Interreg Euro-MED WatHer Project

06/10/2026

WatHer at the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum

WatHer took part in the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, held in Rome from 29 September to 2 October, with a delegation including Paola Branduini (Politecnico di Milano, Project Coordinator) and Tanja Kremenic (University of Padua).

On 30 September, WatHer participated in the workshop “Water Resilience in the Euro-Mediterranean Region: from Policy to Action”, jointly organised by the Natural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Missions of the Interreg Euro-MED Programme and coordinated by Plan Bleu. As part of the workshop, the thematic roundtable “From Challenges to Solutions: Interreg Euro-MED Projects” brought together the projects RedeeM, WatHer, WATERISE and AQUAMAN to exchange experiences on practical responses to water-related challenges. The discussion focused on solutions developed on the ground and on the conditions needed to scale up successful approaches across the Mediterranean. Paola Branduini presented WatHer’s approach, pilot sites and expected outcomes, highlighting the environmental, cultural and economic benefits of restoring Water Heritage Systems as nature- and culture-based solutions. Through pilot actions, community engagement, training and co-designed strategies, WatHer aims to strengthen the long-term management of these systems and promote the exchange of heritage-based solutions across Mediterranean territories. With partners working from Portugal to Cyprus, the project contributes to transnational cooperation and to the sharing of knowledge and practices through the Global Network
of Water Museums (WAMU-NET). The Forum was also attended by Eriberto Eulisse, representing WAMU-NET, an Associated Partner of the University of Padova in the WatHer project, who presented the organisation’s objectives and activities.

Find out more info about the project
https://wather.interreg-euro-med.eu/

25/09/2026

A big thank you to Novi list for featuring the WatHer project and helping us share how water heritage can contribute to a more climate-resilient future.

Posljednjih mjeseci stanovnici mnogih dijelova Europe gledali su prema nebu očekujući kišu. Niz vrućih dana, malo oborina i kratki pljuskovi koji brzo prođu obilježili su još jedno izrazito toplo ljeto. Hrvatska nije prošla ništa bolje te smo ovog […]

25/09/2026

On 15 September, during the second day of the WatHer Partnership Meeting held on the island of Cres, Croatia, a field visit took place to discover the island’s ponds used for watering livestock, particularly sheep, as well as the spectacular Lake Vrana, a unique geological feature that provides drinking water to the islands of Cres and Lošinj.

During the visit to the pond in Predošćica, the group had the unexpected and fortunate opportunity to meet Gabriela. Curious about the presence of so many people in the village, she approached the group and turned out to be a true repository of the village’s historical memory. Gabriela shared fascinating stories with the WatHer team about how water was traditionally used and how the pond was maintained and managed over time - providing valuable first-hand knowledge of the local water heritage and the practices associated with it.

Find out more info about the project
https://wather.interreg-euro-med.eu/

25/09/2026

Between 14 and 16 September, the third WatHer Partnership Meeting took place on the beautiful island of Cres, Croatia.

The meeting marked the official launch of the project’s second Working Package, dedicated to the test phase, including the development of Action Plans and the restoration of Water Heritage Systems. Following an introduction by the University of Granada, which leads WP2, each partner had the opportunity to present the restoration interventions they intend to carry out, highlighting their feasibility and the main challenges to be addressed.

A big thank you also goes to our colleagues from OTRA, Ugo Toić and Pauline Flipo-Boucontet, supported by Tanja Kremenić (University of Padua Official), who organised our stay on the island impeccably.

Find out more info about the project
https://wather.interreg-euro-med.eu/

25/09/2026

On Sunday 20th September, the Portuguese pilot-site of the WatHer project celebrated European Heritage Days with a guided tour of the Fonte Filipe WHS. This was a participatory and collaborative activity organized by the University of Algarve (PP4) in conjunction with local stakeholders (QRER Cooperative, Rêverie - Experiences EcoWellness), with the aim of bringing the community closer to its heritage. The interpretative route focusing on water heritage – which includes irrigation canals and a watermill – was led by PP4 with the collaboration of the local population and attracted 17 participants of different nationalities (Portugal, Italy, France and the Netherlands). At the start of the activity, the field trip was contextualized within the objectives of the WatHer project, and the role and importance of the Fonte Filipe WHS for future generations, in tackling the climate challenge and for the socio-ecological sustainability of the Algarve’s inland region, were discussed. The participants showed great interest in the WatHer project and offered to collaborate on future initiatives and activities to be held in the pilot-site. The activity concluded at the watermill with a tasting of local produce, which forms the basis of the Mediterranean diet, recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO

Find out more info about the project
https://wather.interreg-euro-med.eu/

31/07/2026

A big thank you to PadovaOggi for featuring the WatHer project and helping us share how water heritage can contribute to a more climate-resilient future.

Il Bo partecipa a WatHer, il progetto europeo che punta a recuperare la centuriazione romana per rendere il territorio più resiliente a siccità, alluvioni e cambiamenti climatici. Al centro anche il recupero della rete di fossi e siepi

23/07/2026

WatHer reaches local media in Italy

As part of the WatHer communication activities, our partners from the University of Padua Official, Dr. Mauro Varotto, Associate Professor, and Tanja Kremenić, Postdoctoral Researcher, gave an interview to Marco Milan a journalist from the University's Press Office to present the WatHer project and highlight the importance of the Padua pilot site.

The interview introduced WatHer as an Interreg Euro-MED project that brings together 12 partners from eight Mediterranean countries, under the coordination of the Politecnico di Milano. Each partner focuses on studying, restoring, or promoting a different historical water management system, with the common goal of strengthening climate resilience and preserving Mediterranean water heritage.

A significant part of the discussion focused on one of the most pressing environmental issues facing the Mediterranean today: water. The researchers explained that today's water challenges extend beyond drought and should be understood through the concept of the "water trilemma" as presented in the Manifesto of the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum (to be held in Rome in September 2026). This refers to three interconnected challenges that many Mediterranean regions are facing: prolonged periods of water scarcity and drought, increasingly frequent heavy rainfall and flooding events, and the deterioration of water quality caused by diffuse pollution.

Using the Padua pilot site as an example, Dr. Varotto and Ms. Kremenić explained how historical water heritage systems can become part of the solution. The pilot focuses on the ancient network of Roman ditches within the historic centuriated landscape around Padua. Over the past decades, many of these ditches and the surrounding hedgerows have disappeared, reducing the landscape's natural ability to manage water, support biodiversity, and maintain healthy ecosystems.

The researchers highlighted that restoring these historical landscape features could deliver multiple environmental benefits. Rehabilitated ditches can help slow down and temporarily store excess rainwater, reducing flood risks during extreme weather events. Vegetated banks can naturally filter nutrients and pollutants before they reach rivers and streams, improving water quality. At the same time, restored hedgerows can reduce soil erosion, limit water evaporation by providing shade, enhance biodiversity, and reconnect habitats across agricultural landscapes.

The interview also emphasized that the Padua pilot site, together with the other WatHer pilot sites across the Mediterranean, is designed as a demonstration project. The project will assess whether restoring these historical water heritage systems can provide measurable ecosystem services while remaining economically sustainable. If successful, the approach could serve as a model for many other agricultural regions facing similar water and climate challenges across the Mediterranean and Europe.

Find out more info about the project
https://wather.interreg-euro-med.eu/

16/07/2026

WatHer on the Radio!

Our project was recently presented on Astra Radio 92.8 as part of our communication and outreach activities in Cyprus.

Charalambos Louka, Research Associate at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), and Eleni Panayiotou, Senior Research Officer at Laona Foundation, introduced the WatHer project and explained how it promotes the restoration and sustainable use of Water Heritage Systems to help rural areas become more resilient to climate change.

Interreg Euro-MED WatHer project revives centuries-old Water Heritage Systems (WHS) as a modern solution to drought in rural Mediterranean areas. The project restores traditional canals, ponds, and irrigation ditches - long neglected but proven to capture and store water sustainably.

In selected pilot sites, Water Heritage Systems are mapped, restored, and monitored using a mix of field knowledge and modern tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and environmental sensors. Action plans are co-designed with local communities, blending ancestral techniques with today’s ecological standards.

To ensure uptake, the project delivers training guidelines, engages local actors through seminars and consultations, and builds a joint strategy for water heritage systems reuse. Through transnational cooperation – within the Global Network of Water Museums – these methods will be carried across borders, turning field-tested heritage into a shared Mediterranean resource.

The lead partner of the project is Politecnico di Milano (IT), and the project partners are University of Padua Official (IT), Universidad de Granada (ES), Universidade do Algarve UAlg (PT), Associação In Loco (PT), OTRA – Island Development Agency Ltd (HR), BSC – Business support centre Ltd, Kranj (SI), Cyprus University of Technology / Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου (CY), Laona Foundation Ίδρυμα Λαόνα (CY), Bashkia Selenicë Faqja Zyrtare (AL), Chambre d’agriculture des Bouches-du-Rhône (FR) and Terres en villes (FR).

10/07/2026

A special thanks to Dialogos Group and Astra Radio for hosting our two project partners from the Cyprus University of Technology / Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου and Laona Foundation Ίδρυμα Λαόνα.

Our project was presented by Charalambos Louka, Research Associate at the Cyprus University of Technology, and Eleni Panayiotou, Senior Research Officer at Laona Foundation.

Thank you for supporting and promoting our project in Cyprus!

Listen to 09-07-2026 ΕΚΠΕΜΠΟΝΤΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΠΛΑΝΗΤΗ by Dialogos Media Group

10/07/2026

A big thank you to LimassolToday for supporting and promoting our project in Cyprus! We truly appreciate your help in raising awareness about sustainable water management and sharing our mission. Together, we can make a difference!

Το ΤΕΠΑΚ αξιοποιεί τη γνώση του παρελθόντος για βιώσιμες λύσεις απέναντι στη λειψυδρία και την κλιματική αλλαγή μέσω του έργου WatHer