RESTORE4Cs is proud to announce the release of Where Waters Breathe, a visually rich six-part documentary series exploring Europe’s coastal wetlands: places where land, water, people, and climate converge.
Developed within the EU-funded RESTORE4Cs project, Where Waters Breathe takes viewers to the living edge of Europe, revealing how coastal wetlands “breathe” life into ecosystems and societies while standing on the frontline of climate change. Through powerful storytelling, immersive field footage, and human-centred narratives, the series transforms cutting-edge science into an accessible and compelling experience for a broad audience.
The documentary series is directed by Fabrizio Lecce of the Centro di Produzione Multimediale (CPM) at Università del Salento, with concept and script developed by Madeira Scauri of LifeWatch ERIC. Their combined vision brings together scientific depth and cinematic storytelling, translating complex research outcomes into an engaging narrative grounded in real places and real people, made possible also through the active participation and support of the RESTORE4Cs partner institutions involved across Europe.
Filmed between July 2023 and October 2024, the series journeys across six emblematic coastal wetland systems:
- Valencian Wetlands (Spain)
- Camargue (France)
- Ria de Aveiro (Portugal)
- South-West Dutch Delta (Netherlands)
- Curonian Lagoon (Baltic Sea)
- Danube Delta (Black Sea)
Each episode focuses on one RESTORE4Cs Case Pilot, showcasing wetlands in different states of conservation, from well-preserved ecosystems to heavily altered landscapes, and the innovative restoration solutions being tested and implemented across Europe.
Following scientists, practitioners, decision-makers, and local communities, Where Waters Breathe documents field campaigns, ecosystem assessments, stakeholder workshops, and knowledge-exchange events. The series gives voice to those whose livelihoods, cultural identities, and quality of life are deeply connected to these wetlands, highlighting real ecological challenges alongside practical, science-based restoration actions.
Across its six interconnected stories, the documentary explores:
- Why coastal wetland restoration is critical for Europe’s climate and environmental policies
- How ecosystem health, biodiversity, climate resilience, and societal well-being are interlinked
- The scientific, technical, and socio-environmental outcomes of RESTORE4Cs
- The importance of stakeholder participation, co-creation, and local knowledge
- The role of science–policy–society interfaces in evidence-based decision-making
- The value of long-term monitoring, interdisciplinary collaboration, and data-driven approaches
- The transferability and scalability of restoration solutions across Europe and beyond
- 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 recognise how restoring nature is key to building a more resilient, biodiverse, and sustainable future for Europe and beyond.
Each episode stands alone as an individual documentary, while together they form a broader narrative, like pieces of a puzzle, telling the story of European coastal wetland conservation and restoration through the lens of RESTORE4Cs.
🎬 Watch the full documentary series here:
https://www.lifewatching.tv/tv-show/restore4cs/#season_4
