Wetlands are a critical part of our environment, and a vital ecosystem in climate change mitigation. They are some of the most effective carbon sinks of the planet that also regulate temperature, reduce soil erosion, purify water, and help with flood alleviation. When their area and quality decreases, the consequences are profound.

Slovakia’s wetlands have been in past decades marked by human impact. Such is the case of the Dunajske Luhy protected landscape area, located on the left bank of the Danube River, spanning from the hinterland of Bratislava to the Velky Lel Island where water access was disrupted by water regulations and by the construction of the Gabcikovo hydropower plant which commenced in 1977 - and entered commercial operation in 1992. Despite these dramatic changes, the Danube inland delta is still one of the largest wetland areas remaining in Central Europe.

This project looks at two locations where, throughout the past years, the BROZ Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development non-profit organisation has focused on restoring these highly biodiverse areas. Examining the effects of barrier and sediment removal and the return of the historical human-nature coexistence at the Velky Lel Island, and the revival of the nearly dried out Istragov wetland through geospatial planning, reconnecting the previously existing arms by digging grounded canals - and by coordinating a yearly simulated flooding, it is a testimony of the transforming power of one element: water.