Free Flow 2024 – International conference on protecting and restoring free-flowing rivers in Europe

The World Fish Migration Foundation & Institute of Fisheries Management, invite you to a 3-day conference that revolves around the protection and restoration of Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe.

April 15-17, 2024 | Oosterpoort, Groningen, The Netherlands

Free Flow 2024 is an international conference on protecting and restoring free-flowing rivers that is gathering policy makers, river managers, ecologists, researchers, students, and industry. Rivers are under threat and freshwater biodiversity in decline. More than ever, the need to find solutions to build climate resilience and safeguard rivers that adapt to a changing environment becomes pressing for the future of nature and people.

Special emphasis is given to the role of science around barrier removal as a tool to achieve the EU 2030 Biodiversity goal of freeing up 25,000 km of rivers. This topic is more relevant than ever as the biodiversity of free-flowing rivers is under great human pressure while climate change is acting as a threat multiplier. This has also been recognized at the COP15 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, where calls for urgent action to protect and restore our rivers have been strong.

The call for abstracts is now closed and the program will be announced on December 5th, 2023. Visit our website https://freeflowconference.eu/ for more information regarding the conference.

Program

The event will take place in Groningen, and it is expected around 400 delegates from all over Europe and the rest of the world. Full programme will be announced in early December.

April 15 & 16

Two days of around hundred presentations divided in parallel sessions with keynote speakers opening proceedings each day on the main stage. There will also be a cocktail reception on the first evening and conference banquet on the second. During the day there will also be poster sessions and a marketplace with relevant industry representatives. This will all take place in the creative atmosphere of the Oosterpoort venue.

April 17

As a part of the conference, we are offering five field trip options which are organised in cooperation with Wadden Sea Swimway project. You can choose to visit a river restoration and fish passage projects including the fish migration river. Click here to find out more about the field trip options.

Side events

We offer several side events to make your Free Flow experience complete as the Dam Removal Course. During and after the conference we offer space for courses, movie screenings, project meetings This way we maximize the opportunities to meet up with colleagues and build connections.
If you are interested in organizing a side event, please contact herman@fishmigration.org.

Registration and questions   

Registrations opened on September 5, 2023 and tickets are available for purchase before April 1, 2024 or until sold out. Place is limited so we advise you to book as soon as possible.
For more information regarding the conference, please contact Neza Posnjak at neza@fishmigration.org.