“Where Waters Breathe” is a visually rich documentary series that takes audiences to the living edge of Europe, where land, water, people, and climate meet.

Developed within the EU-funded RESTORE4Cs project, this six-episode series journeys across some of Europe’s most emblematic coastal wetlands, revealing how these ecosystems “breathe” life into our environment and societies while standing on the frontline of climate change. Through powerful storytelling and striking field footage, the series transforms cutting-edge science into an accessible, human-centred narrative for a wide audience.

From the Valencian Wetlands and the Camargue in the Mediterranean, to the Ria de Aveiro and the South-West Dutch Delta along the Atlantic coast, and onward to the Curonian Lagoon in the Baltic Sea and the Danube Delta in the Black Sea, each episode focuses on one RESTORE4Cs Case Pilot. Together, they showcase wetlands in different states of preservation, from well-conserved to heavily altered, and the diverse restoration solutions being tested and implemented across Europe.

Filmed between July 2023 and October 2024, “Where Waters Breathe” follows scientists, practitioners, decision-makers, and local communities during fieldwork campaigns, ecosystem assessments, stakeholder workshops, and knowledge-exchange events. The series highlights real ecological challenges and innovative restoration actions, while giving voice to the people who depend on these landscapes for their livelihoods, cultural identity, and quality of life.

Across its six interconnected stories, the documentary explores:

• Why coastal wetland restoration and conservation are essential for Europe’s climate and environmental policies
• How ecosystem health, climate resilience, biodiversity, and societal well-being are deeply intertwined
• The scientific, technical, and socio-environmental outcomes delivered by RESTORE4Cs
• The power of stakeholder participation, co-creation, and local knowledge in shaping effective restoration strategies
• The importance of science–policy–society interfaces for evidence-based decision-making
• The role of long-term monitoring, data collection, and interdisciplinary collaboration in sustaining restoration success
• The transferability and scalability of restoration approaches beyond the project’s pilot sites
• The added value of cross-project collaboration, including synergies with RESTORE4Cs Sister Projects ALFAwetlands, REWET, and WET HORIZONS

Premiered at the first Water Resilience Forum hosted by the European Commission in December 2025, “Where Waters Breathe” is more than a documentary series, it is an invitation to rethink our relationship with coastal wetlands, and to see how restoring nature can help secure a more resilient, biodiverse, and sustainable future for Europe and beyond.

Follow RESTORE4Cs’ Where Waters Breathe:

Website: https://www.restore4cs.eu/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/restore4c

X: https://x.com/RESTORE4Cs

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/restore4cs.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restore4cs/