admin | MAR2PROTECT

Frielas Livinglab brings stakeholders together for better local groundwater management

by admin | May 13, 2024 | Demosite 3, events, News

MAR2PROTECT has successful launched the Frielas LivingLab in Portugal during the last week. The event was proudly hosted by NOVA FCT, as the third demosite of the project.

This exciting event was achieved in collaboration with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the Regulatory Authority for Water and Waste Services (ERSAR), the Municipality of Loures, the Municipality of Lisbon, the Municipality of Almada, Lisbon E-NOVA, the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (LNEC), the Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences (MARE), the Portuguese Association of Environmental Technologies Companies (Apemeta), Águas do Tejo Atlântico, and Aquapor, among others.

The first workshop brought together these prominent entities with the aim of discussing groundwater management both nationally and across Europe. The primary focus was on ensuring the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of the strategies proposed by the project. During the event, successful case studies were explored, key challenges were identified, and next steps were outlined to drive progress in this vital area.

The upcoming workshop of the LivingLab will focus on gathering stakeholders’ opinions on the technologies developed in the project, as well as co-creating awareness activities for civil society on this crucial topic.

The implementation of the LivingLab is supported by the methodology and detailed guidance provided by IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.

MAR2PROTECT seeks to save the world’s groundwater from contamination through an innovative and holistic approach. This research project brings together two main strategies, the M-AI-R tool and LivingLabs, to create new approaches for safeguarding groundwater as it becomes more vulnerable in the face of climate change.

The project kicked off in December 2022 and will run for four years. It is funded by the Horizon Europe programme with a total cost of €4.143.681,25. MAR2PROTECT will usher in a new generation of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) that engages stakeholders and enhances both groundwater quality and quantity.

MAR2PROTECT’s LivingLab Initiative Expands with Successful Launch of Second Meeting in Viana do Castelo

by admin | Apr 30, 2024 | Demosite 7, events, News

MAR2PROTECT, in collaboration with Centro Interdisciplinar De Investigacao Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR) and CMIA de Viana do Castelo, is thrilled to announce the successful launch of the second meeting of its LivingLab initiative at the Lima River estuary. The event took place on April 16, 2024, in Viana do Castelo, Portugal.

The workshop witnessed the enthusiastic participation of stakeholders from diverse sectors, including the public sector, academia, industry, and civil society. Employing a co-creative methodology, attendees engaged in fruitful discussions, identifying optimal strategies for local societal involvement, highlighting potential challenges within the case study, and fostering community awareness to prevent water contamination. Their invaluable feedback not only underscored the effectiveness of ongoing efforts but also illuminated the path forward for the LivingLab.

This LivingLab represents the inaugural venture of its kind in Portugal, marking a significant milestone in MAR2PROTECT’s broader mission. As part of a larger network spanning seven demo-sites across Africa and Europe, including South Africa, Tunisia, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and now two locations in Portugal, this LivingLab embodies meticulous site selection based on past successes, climatic conditions, water sources, pollution types, Managed Aquifer Recharge schemes, and socio-political context.

The implementation of this LivingLab (and all other MAR2PROTECT LivingLabs) is supported by the methodology and detailed guidance provided by our partners from IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.

MAR2PROTECT seeks to save the world’s groundwater from contamination through an innovative and holistic approach. This research project brings together two main strategies, the M-AI-R tool and LivingLabs, to create new approaches for safeguarding groundwater as it becomes more vulnerable in the face of climate change.

The project kicked off in December 2022 and will run for four years. It is funded by the Horizon Europe programme with a total cost of €4.143.681,25. MAR2PROTECT will usher in a new generation of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) that engages stakeholders and enhances both groundwater quality and quantity.

MAR2PROTECT Launches Cape Flats LivingLab in South Africa

by admin | Mar 11, 2024 | Demosite 5, events, News

MAR2PROTECT has successful launched the Cape Flats LivingLab in South Africa during the last week. The event was proudly hosted by the Stellenbosch University Water Institute in collaboration with the City of Cape Town.

The Cape Flats LivingLab event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from academia, the public sector, and the private sector. Participants included key figures public government, agronomists, farmers, and other relevant parties.

The discussions at the event revolved around the successes and challenges in groundwater management within the Cape Flats Aquifer. Additionally, the event highlighted the innovative technologies and activities developed by MAR2PROTECT. The focus extended to exploring the role and future prospects of a MAR2PROTECT LivingLab in the local context.

MAR2PROTECT seeks to save the world’s groundwater from contamination through an innovative and holistic approach. This research project brings together two main strategies, the M-AI-R tool and LivingLabs, to create new approaches for safeguarding groundwater as it becomes more vulnerable in the face of climate change.

The project kicked off in December 2022 and will run for four years. It is funded by the Horizon Europe programme with a total cost of €4.143.681,25. MAR2PROTECT will usher in a new generation of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) that engages stakeholders and enhances both groundwater quality and quantity.

Successful launch of MAR2PROTECT LivingLab in Viana do Castelo Welcomes Participation from Multifaceted Stakeholders

by admin | Feb 26, 2024 | Demosite 7, events, News

MAR2PROTECT, through its partner Centro Interdisciplinar De Investigacao Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), and with the collaboration of CMIA de Viana do Castelo as a facilitator, held a successful workshop on February 21 to launch the project’s LivingLab in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, where the Lima River estuary is located.

Members of different sectors such as the public sector, academia, industry, and civil society attended the day. Using a co-creative approach, the stakeholders helped to identify the best ways for local societal engagement, detect possible challenges in the case study, raise community awareness prevent water contamination and provided feedback on the effectiveness and next steps.

This LivingLab is the first to be launched of the two located in Portugal. In total, there are seven demo-sites located across Africa and Europe; South Africa, Tunisia, Netherlands, Italy and Spain are each home to one demo-site, while Portugal is home to two. These sites have been carefully chosen for their success in previous projects as well as the climatic conditions, water sources, types of pollution, Managed Aquifer Recharge schemes and socio-political contexts.

MAR2PROTECT seeks to save the world’s groundwater from contamination through an innovative and holistic approach. This research project brings together two main strategies, the M-AI-R tool and LivingLabs, to create new approaches for safeguarding groundwater as it becomes more vulnerable in the face of climate change.

The project kicked off in December 2022 and will run for four years. It is funded by the Horizon Europe programme with a total cost of €4.143.681,25. MAR2PROTECT will usher in a new generation of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) that engages stakeholders and enhances both groundwater quality and quantity.

More than 150 people attended the MAR2PROTECT conference on wastewater treatment at the University of Bologna

by admin | Feb 19, 2024 | events, News

The MAR2PROTECT project was presented on February 8, 2024 at the University of Bologna, in the framework of a conference entitled “Innovative approaches to wastewater treatment and reuse in the era of climate change: the MAR2PROTECT, StopUP and WATERUN and projects”.

The conference, attended by 155 participants from academia, water utilities, public institutions and technology providers, was articulated in a first session dedicated to the management and treatment of urban runoff and combined sewer overflow, and a second session focused on the removal of micropollutants from wastewater and its reuse for managed aquifer recharge.

The event ended with a round table on the future perspectives of wastewater treatment taking into account the proposed revision of the EU wastewater directive. The conference included a large participation of members of the LivingLab relative to the Italian case study of MAR2PROTECT, and of the Community of Practice relative to the Italian case study of the StopUP project.