Bound by miles of steel, concrete, or brick walls, Berlin’s rivers and artificial canals often look alike. Plastic bottles, along with ducks, swans, and perhaps the occasional coot seeking scraps from humans, are some of the few visible signs of life. Underwater, the scene is similarly sparse and monotonous, with only a handful of resilient species able to endure the harsh conditions. In response to this lack of biodiversity, researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin collaborated with the engineering firm Wite to create the Vertical Wetland project. This initiative introduced plant boxes that attach to sheet piling along canal walls, extending into the water to form miniature habitats. These boxes serve as refuges for insects, birds, fish, and other small animals, offering hiding spots and sheltered spaces for egg-laying among the roots and boxes protruding into the water. Known as "ecological stepping stones," vertical wetlands enable animals to rest and safely traverse urban waterways, fostering biodiversity along urban riverbanks. Vertical wetlands present a quick and cost-effective way to ecologically upgrade sections of urban waterways. Although they can’t fully replace natural riverside habitats, these mini-habitats offer substantial ecological benefits. Native river floodplain plants, including willows, reeds, rushes, and shallow-water species like irises and marsh marigolds, provide the foundation of these structures. All materials used are environmentally friendly and biodegradable. By covering the grey, industrial surfaces of riversides, the vegetation cools the local environment, both on land and in the water, and helps improve water quality. Plant shading cools water, reducing eutrophication risks and creating a healthier habitat for aquatic life. The Vertical Wetland project’s pilot installation was successfully implemented and tested in 2023 in the Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal. (1, 3, 6)
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Other
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Improvements to water quality
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Poor water quality
- Other
Key priorities
Focus
Project objectives
Implementation activities
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore native species
- Restore ecological connectivity
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Researchers/university
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Project implemented in response to ...
Type of enablers
Financing
Total cost
Source(s) of funding
- Public regional budget
- EU funds
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Achieved lowered local temperature
- Green space and habitat
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Expected reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Education
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Expected increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
References
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.