Life WILL - Water in the Landscape and Soil

Climate change is bringing increasingly frequent extremes—periods of drought, torrential rains, and a decline in water reserves across the landscape. The LIFE WILL (Water in the Landscape and Land) project, implemented in Slovakia by Daphne—Institute of Applied Ecology, focuses on finding concrete solutions to increase the landscape’s resilience to these challenges through better water and soil management.

The project’s goal is to implement nature-based measures that help retain water in the landscape, restore the soil’s natural functions, and reduce the risks of floods and droughts. The project is being implemented in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Its uniqueness lies in a specific participatory methodology that actively involves local residents in the entire process—from analysis to the implementation of specific measures.

Pilot activities are underway in the village of Šterusy near Vrbové, where—in collaboration with the local government, experts, and the community—measures such as rainwater retention, agricultural landscape revitalization, and the restoration of small-scale landscape structures are being tested. The experience gained from this site will serve as a model for other municipalities in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Total project cost/grant amount:  2,597,268.78 EUR/1,558,361 EUR
Daphne budget: 690,135.02 EUR / 414,081.02 EUR

Project website.

For more information on DAPHNE’s activities in the field of water retention in the landscape, visit our website Water in the Landscape (in Slovak).

Photo: One of the sites in the village of Šterusy where we will be implementing measures to mitigate flash floods , Author: Michal Gálik