Rivers Ecological Restoration with Nature-Based Solutions: the case study of the Alcantara river (Sicily, Italy)

The Mediterranean Region faces critical challenges from warming, prolonged heatwaves, increased drought, and flooding risks. Up to 32% of its areas could suffer biodiversity and ecosystem service degradation under global warming of 1.5°C 2°C. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), also known as Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM), are key strategies to enhance climate resilience, addressing both adaptation and mitigation while offering co-benefits for societal challenges. The Alcantara catchment in Sicily, Italy, is an area of significant environmental and landscape value, hosting diverse species and 11 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). This study outlines the ecological restoration idea and design in two ha). In collaboration with the University of Catania, a system of small wetlands support habitats of Mediterranean rivers and temporary ponds. Native vegetation
such as Tamarix africana, T. gallica, Nerium oleander, Salix purpurea, and S. gussonei were used to restore fluvial terraces and marshes. Remote sensing techniques will monitor pond ecosystem dynamics, and flood risk reduction will be evaluated using hydrological-hydraulic models at the catchment scale. The enhancement of some ecosystem services provided by the
NWRM implemented in the Alcantara river, among which are water quality improvement, hydrological regime regulation, habitat deterioration prevention, and biodiversity recovery support, will be assessed. These wetlands could enhance water quality, regulate hydrological regimes, prevent habitat deterioration, and support biodiversity recovery, serving as nesting sites for migratory birds.