The European Union’s Horizon Europe initiative has taken a bold step forward in the domain of ecological restoration and climate resilience with the SpongeBoost project. Dedicated to harnessing and enhancing the natural sponginess of landscapes, SpongeBoost is pioneering an innovative approach aimed at fortifying ecosystems against the mounting threats of flood and drought—two phenomena increasingly intensified by climate change. This project is predicated on the principle that landscapes, when restored to their natural sponge-like functionality, can markedly improve water retention, slow runoff, and enhance groundwater recharge, thereby bolstering their intrinsic capacity to withstand extreme hydrological events. Through this strategy, SpongeBoost is shaping the future of landscape and water resource management across Europe in a scientifically robust and scalable manner.
In an exciting development, SpongeBoost has launched the upcoming application cycle for its “SpongeBooster of the Year” award, an initiative designed to recognize and celebrate exemplary sponge landscape restoration projects throughout Europe. This award highlights projects that have successfully integrated nature-based solutions to enhance water retention, restore biodiversity, and improve climate resilience in local communities. By spotlighting these transformative efforts, the award seeks not only to reward outstanding accomplishments but also to inspire replication and scaling in regions facing similar environmental challenges. The award thus serves as both recognition and a catalyst for broader adoption of ecological restoration interventions aligned with contemporary climate adaptation strategies.
The eligibility criteria for this prestigious award embrace a wide range of projects implemented within the timeframe from January 2020 to December 2025, underscoring recent commitments to environmental restoration. Eligible applicants include organizations and private individuals actively engaged in outdoor restoration and rewetting initiatives that demonstrate measurable improvements in ecological function and resilience. Importantly, the geographical scope of the award extends beyond the European Union to include Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Balkan countries, reflecting a transnational commitment to restoring sponge landscapes within diverse ecological and socio-political contexts across Europe.
Applications for the 2026 “SpongeBooster of the Year” award are slated to open from October 27 through November 30, 2025, accessible via an online submission portal. This accessibility facilitates wide participation across sectors, enabling grassroots organizations, research groups, governmental bodies, and private stakeholders dedicated to landscape restoration to present their projects on a continental platform. The application process not only collects detailed project data but also encourages applicants to document ecological impacts, community engagement methods, and innovative restoration techniques employed, thereby contributing valuable case studies that enrich the collective knowledge base in applied landscape ecology.
From a technical standpoint, the projects eligible for this award employ a multifaceted array of restoration methodologies. These include rewetting drained wetlands, restoring floodplains through natural hydrological reconnection, and re-establishing native vegetation that supports soil infiltration and habitat heterogeneity. Such interventions are grounded in the principles of ecological engineering and landscape hydrology, seeking to restore the “sponge effect”—enhanced water storage capacity and moderated surface runoff. These methods not only mitigate immediate climate risks but also augment biodiversity by creating or preserving habitats vital for aquatic and terrestrial species, many of which are endangered or under significant pressure from anthropogenic change.
A formidable example that illustrates the award’s emphasis on impactful restoration is the 2025 recipient, Planar e.V. from Germany. This initiative revitalized 1.1 kilometers of the River Diemel by reinstating its natural river morphology and hydrological connectivity. The project successfully reconnected approximately 20 hectares of floodplain, transforming it back into a dynamic wetland area capable of buffering floods and sustaining diverse species assemblages. This undertaking was distinguished by intensive volunteer participation and a robust coalition of regional partners, whose collaborative efforts culminated in significant ecological gains while simultaneously enhancing the recreational and aesthetic value of the landscape for local communities.
The scientific implications of such projects resonate beyond local hydrology and ecology. By restoring complex floodplain dynamics and wetland hydrology, these initiatives promote sediment retention, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration—ecosystem services critical in the context of global climate mitigation strategies. Furthermore, by improving habitat connectivity and structural diversity, sponge landscape restoration supports metapopulation dynamics and genetic diversity, thereby embedding resilience into ecosystem processes under shifting climate regimes. Research emerging from the SpongeBoost network continually advances methodological rigor in measuring these outcomes, integrating remote sensing, field ecology, and hydrological modeling to quantify the multi-dimensional benefits of such restoration efforts.
Institutionally, the SpongeBoost platform facilitates knowledge exchange and capacity building by linking practitioners, scientists, and policy-makers. The award recipients serve as beacons, their projects analyzed and disseminated as best-practice models that demonstrate scalable and context-adapted approaches to landscape restoration. Such dissemination is vital in overcoming barriers related to funding, stakeholder engagement, and technical expertise that often impede restoration initiatives. The visibility conferred by the SpongeBooster award translates into enhanced trust and novel partnerships, amplifying impact and facilitating the transition from pilot projects to widespread implementation.
Ecologically, sponge landscapes function as natural reservoirs, modulating hydrological extremes by attenuating peak flows during heavy rains and releasing stored water during drought periods. Their restoration addresses pressing climate adaptation needs, directly increasing landscape resilience to variability and extremes that have profound societal consequences. Concurrently, rewetting dries wetlands inversely mitigates carbon emissions caused by peatland degradation and land drainage while fostering conditions that support peat formation and carbon storage over time, further linking restoration to global climate objectives.
The community dimension of SpongeBoost’s work cannot be overstated. Restoration projects recognized by the award foster local stewardship and environmental awareness. Engaging volunteers and residents in hands-on restoration activity not only leverages human capital but also engenders a sense of place and responsibility essential for long-term sustainability. Moreover, restored sponge landscapes provide multiple co-benefits such as enhanced recreation, tourism, and education opportunities, transforming ecological restoration into a socio-economic asset that aligns conservation goals with regional development needs.
Finally, the SpongeBoost project receives substantial support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No.101112906. This funding underpins the scientific, technical, and community engagement components of the initiative, ensuring rigorous project evaluation and dissemination. As climate impacts intensify, the model fostered by SpongeBoost, which synergizes scientific innovation with grassroots action, has the potential to transform Europe’s landscapes into resilient, multifunctional ecosystems that safeguard biodiversity and human well-being in an era of unprecedented environmental change.
Subject of Research: Sponge landscape restoration, flood and drought resilience, ecological restoration methods, climate adaptation.
Article Title: SpongeBoost Launches 2026 “SpongeBooster of the Year” Award to Accelerate Landscape Resilience Across Europe.
News Publication Date: Not explicitly stated; based on content, assumed to be in 2025 prior to October 27.
Web References:
– SpongeBoost project information: https://www.spongeboost.eu/spongebooster-year
– Award application portal: https://events.pensoft.net/events/spongebooster-year-2026-award
Image Credits: SpongeBoost consortium
Keywords: Wetlands, Conservation ecology, Ecological methods, Ecology, Climatology, Earth sciences, Environmental sciences, Climate change, Earth climate
