📅 17-18 June 2025 📍 Università IUAV – Cotonificio, Venice – Italy
Europe’s rivers, lakes, springs, and wetlands, particularly those in remote and rural areas, are among the continent’s most undervalued yet vital natural and cultural assets. Threatened by urbanisation, depopulation, and lack of integration into mainstream environmental strategies, these waters risk being forgotten.
AQUATIK-EU, a new project led by ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy, aims to change this narrative. Funded by the European Union, the initiative empowers local communities and authorities to rediscover, protect, and revitalise Europe’s inland and lesser-known aquatic heritage.
From the mythic rivers of Souli, Greece, to the spring-fed hills of Sassinoro, Italy, the project maps and uplifts sites where water has shaped identity, livelihood, and ecosystems for centuries. In doing so, AQUATIK-EU promotes water not only as an environmental concern but as a cornerstone of local memory, governance, and resilience.
Join the first AQUATIK-EU International Conference that will take place on June 17 & 18 in Venice (Italy).
The first AQUATIK-EU International Conference will take place in Venice (Italy), the city of water par excellence, in at Università IUAV – Cotonificio on 17-18 June 2025. The two-day gathering will bring together over 70 participants, including local authorities, civil society actors, researchers, and citizens, from across Europe.
Participants will take part in:
- A public conference addressing challenges and opportunities in managing inland water heritage followed by a networking aperitif;
- Hands-on workshops led by environmental and digital innovation experts;
- A local field visit, offering a first-hand experience of Venice’s digital water heritage trails.
The event will explore how digital tools, participatory governance, and cultural storytelling can unlock the potential of neglected water bodies to inspire sustainable development and territorial cohesion.
AQUATIK-EU is more than a project, it is a call to action. By reconnecting people with their waterscapes, it strives to bridge the urban-rural divide, enhance community-led water governance, and foster a pan-European recognition of water as a common good and cultural treasure.
Join us in Venice to be part of this shared journey to protect Europe’s hidden blue heritage!
Join us! Register by clicking on this link.
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The event will be in English 🇬🇧, apart from the public conference on June 17 at 17:00, which will have Italian 🇮🇹 translation.
The project AQUATIK-EU is funded by the CERV programme and includes a consortium led by ALDA, and composed of Paese dell’acqua, Comune di Sassinoro, Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET), Municipality of Souli, Fons Mallorquí de Solidaritat i Cooperació, Ayuntamiento de Alaró, LDA Mostar, Grad Mostar, Geoclube – Associação juvenil de ciência natureza e aventura, Município de Gondomar.
