Monitoring efforts to characterise riverscape composition, structure and functionality consist mainly on the collection of in situ, high cost, ecological information based on ecological and geomorphological standardised field protocols. These efforts are rarely continuous in time (i.e. they mostly cover a given date) or in space (i.e. they are only limited to a given river reach within a larger river section) and rarely incorporate information from the terrestrial and water domains simultaneously. Consequently, the environmental status reporting is usually based on indicators and methodologies that make the comparison and standardization of data across European regions rather cumbersome. In this context, Cop.RIVER aims to lay the foundation to characterise riparian zones from regional to pan-European scale based on reproducible Copernicus data and methods. These capabilities respond to recent developments in satellite sensors (e.g. Sentinel’s constellations), information technology, modeling and the capacity of large amount of information exchange through the web. All these technological advances have generated valuable tools that allow developing new monitoring methodologies for riverscape components (e.g., riparian forest composition, floodplain integrity, water body sizes, optical water quality in main river axes, etc.), main ecological and geomorphological processes covering entire river networks and their temporal dynamics.

Cop.RIVER will strengthen the Copernicus user uptake by supporting regional and national authorities in the implementation of the EU environmental policies. The action aims to: i) promote the use of Earth Observation (EO) in applications and services related to the ecological and conservation status of riverscapes (i.e. rivers and their associated alluvial plains, floodplains and riparian forests for assessing and improving the capabilities of the Riparian Zones (RZ) CLMS components; ii) develop an innovative toolkit (i.e. environmental knowledge and geo-information services) that will allow defining a selected set of standardized indicators from both riparian and aquatic domains, and iii) develop a benchmark for monitoring riparian and river characteristics (e.g. water quality, habitat conservation or urban planning) that will foster opportunities for European enterprises to provide innovative EO systems and services for a more sustainable management of riverscapes based on remote sensing data.

These objectives will be achieved by means of three thematic work packages (WP) with specific goals but a continuous interaction to assure synergies: WP1) Stakeholder engagement process: Identification of reporting needs and information “gaps”, WP2) Development of a toolkit to report periodically European Directives, and WP3) Methodological testing in pilot basins.

Outputs and Results:

• A set of selected terrestrial and aquatic remotely sensed indicators to characterise riverscapes, as well as allowing the assessment of monitoring capabilities of Riparian Zones (RZ) components across environmental gradients in the south of Europe.
• A benchmark for monitoring riparian and river characteristics.
• Piloting exercises in selected locations to show how data and methods as consolidated initiatives allow producing riverscape indicators targeted to institutions responsible for local, regional and national spatial planning design.