Marking its first year, the Horizon Europe-funded FERRO Project showcases progress in developing circular, nature-based solutions to combat lake eutrophication across Europe.
Eutrophication, driven by excessive phosphorus and nitrogen inputs from diverse sources including agricultural runoff, wastewater discharge, urban stormwater, and atmospheric deposition, remains one of the most pressing threats to freshwater ecosystems. It leads to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and biodiversity loss in lakes and reservoirs across Europe. Tackling this challenge is at the heart of the FERRO project (Fostering European Lakes Restoration by Nutrient Removal, Recovery and Reuse: Integrated Catchment and In-lake Scale Approach), which launched in June 2024.
FERRO is a four-year Horizon Europe project that brings together scientists, engineers, and environmental experts from seven institutions across six European countries. By directly contributing to the EU’s sustainability and circular economy objectives, the project is developing innovative, nature-based, and circular solutions for nutrient removal, recovery, and reuse at both catchment and in-lake scales.
To mark the project’s first anniversary, the FERRO consortium convened for a General Assembly in Leipzig, Germany, between 20-22 May 2025. The meeting brought together representatives from all partner organisations to review progress made during the first year, align on strategic priorities for the subsequent phases, and strengthen collaboration across disciplines and sectors.
The Leipzig meeting also provided a platform to assess early findings, refine methodologies, and reinforce stakeholder engagement at local, regional, and European levels. These insights will guide the consortium as it enters the second year of the project, focusing on piloting scalable restoration strategies across selected lake sites in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, and Germany.
“Our first year has laid a solid foundation for developing integrated solutions that are not only effective, but also transferable across Europe’s diverse lake ecosystems.” said project coordinator Tallent Dadi of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ).
Тhe FERRO partners are working towards a shared vision of healthier lakes, circular nutrient use, and sustainable freshwater management. It is exciting to see that the implementation of solutions has already started at most demonstration sites and will continue this year at the remaining sites.
For more information about FERRO, visit the project’s website: www.ferroproject.eu.
Follow FERRO on LinkedIn, X, and YouTube for updates on research developments and field activities.