Welcome to the MERLIN Academy!

Learning about freshwater and wetland restoration and Nature-based Solution – from scientific knowledge to restoration practice.

The MERLIN Academy is a free online learning platform supporting the restoration of Europe's rivers, floodplains and wetlands. Originally developed within the EU-funded MERLIN project, it is now growing through contributions from FLOODTRAIN and DANUBElifelines, bringing together scientific knowledge, practical experience and innovative approaches to ecosystem restoration.

Our ambition is to make restoration knowledge accessible, applicable and relevant to those planning, implementing and managing restoration measures across Europe.

Who is the Academy for?

The Academy is open to everyone interested in freshwater and floodplain restoration, particularly:

  • river and floodplain managers, including public authorities and environmental agencies 
  • restoration practitioners and planners, including consultants and NGOs
  • scientists, educators and students seeking to strengthen their knowledge and practical skills

Registered users can access the learning content at any time, follow the modules at their own pace and track their learning progress.

What can you learn?

The Academy offers interactive, self-paced learning modules combining scientific evidence with practical restoration experience. Depending on the topic, modules include expert videos, recorded webinars, presentations, explanatory materials, further reading and quizzes to test your knowledge.

The learning programme covers a growing range of topics, from ecological foundations and restoration implementation to stakeholder engagement, financing, planning, monitoring and upscaling.

Explore our learning programmes

MERLIN – Freshwater and wetland restoration

The four original MERLIN Academy modules provide a comprehensive introduction to key aspects of freshwater and wetland restoration:

  • Module 1: Implementing and evidencing freshwater and wetland restoration 
  • Module 2: Stakeholder engagement and governance in freshwater and wetland restoration
  • Module 3: The economics and financing of freshwater and wetland restoration
  • Module 4: Upscaling freshwater restoration and Nature-based Solutions


All four modules are available online. To improve accessibility across Europe, multilingual subtitles are being introduced progressively, with Module 2 already available with German, French and Spanish subtitles.

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FLOODTRAIN – Training the next generation of floodplain restoration managers

Building on the MERLIN Academy, the Biodiversa+-funded FLOODTRAIN project is developing a European training and certification programme for Floodplain Restoration Managers.

New learning modules will combine ecological foundations with the practical, technical and socio-economic competencies needed to plan, implement and evaluate successful floodplain restoration. Topics will include floodplain ecology and biodiversity, spatial planning tools, ecosystem services, restoration methods, prioritisation, stakeholder engagement, financing and monitoring.

The programme is being co-developed with restoration practitioners, public authorities, scientists and other stakeholders to ensure that its content responds to real-world training needs.

New FLOODTRAIN modules will become available progressively as they are developed and tested, starting in April 2027.

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DANUBRlifelines – Connecting biodiversity restoration and business

The EU-funded DANUBElifelines project brings a new perspective to the Academy by exploring how business and biodiversity conservation can work together.

Building on the project's Business Club, a series of short learning videos will introduce innovative business models, funding opportunities, market analysis and digital marketing approaches that can support nature-positive entrepreneurship and freshwater restoration.

The videos will provide practical insights for restoration practitioners, entrepreneurs and other interested learners seeking to connect ecological objectives with economically viable solutions.

The new DANUBElifelines module will become available in February 2027.

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The Academy continues to evolve as a shared learning resource for the European restoration community. By bringing together knowledge and experience from different projects, it aims to support the people who turn restoration ambitions into action.

We are open to further collaborations, just get in contact with us at to explore the possibilities.

Explore the learning modules below and start your learning journey!
Click on the boxes below to see all details of the Modules.

MERLIN Academy Learning Modules

How to access the Academy Modules

  • Register and sign in

    When you first arrive at the Academy use the "Sign in" button on the top right to register yourself (scroll down to "Create a new account"). Later you can use that button to sign in to the Academy.

  • Choose a Module

    Once you are signed in choose the Module you are interested in on the starting page or by clicking on "All Modules" in the menu. Then click on the Module tab and select "Enroll for free". You can now access the content.

  • Access the content

    You can return to the course by clicking on "My dashboard" or "All Modules" in the menu and then select "Resume course". Once you have completed the Module click on "Replay course" to get back to the content.

MERLIN Academy reviews

That is what our learners think about our Modules.

5 star rating

Awesome & highly recommended!

Elisabeth Weber

I recently completed Module 3 and am thoroughly impressed with its overall quality and delivery. The content presented is state-of-the-art, reflecting the la...

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I recently completed Module 3 and am thoroughly impressed with its overall quality and delivery. The content presented is state-of-the-art, reflecting the latest advancements and best practices in the field. Each video presentation is meticulously crafted, making it both engaging and easy to follow. The speakers are not only knowledgeable but also deliver the material with clarity and enthusiasm, enhancing the learning experience. The course design is highly professional, from the visual and audio quality to the seamless integration of multimedia elements. I found the tasks interspersed throughout the modules particularly useful in reinforcing key concepts and ensuring that I could apply what I had learned. These interactive components helped to solidify my understanding and kept me actively engaged. Additionally, the inclusion of supplementary literature is a fantastic bonus. It provides valuable resources for those who wish to delve deeper into the topics covered and expand their knowledge beyond the course material. Overall, the layout and execution of this project are exemplary. It has been a pleasure to work through this course, and I have gained a lot from the experience. I highly recommend this course to anyone seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge in this area. The effort and expertise that have gone into creating this course are evident and much appreciated.

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5 star rating

Nice course

Franziska Wenskus

Module 3 was a nice course, not too long and not too short. Videos and presentations look neat and the speakers seem to really know their stuff. Will definit...

Read More

Module 3 was a nice course, not too long and not too short. Videos and presentations look neat and the speakers seem to really know their stuff. Will definitely recommend!

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5 star rating

lt was very interesting

50722004 50722004

lt was very interesting

lt was very interesting

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5 star rating

Fantastic!

Rob St John

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5 star rating

successfully trained

Daniel Hering

Very well designed, great presenters

Very well designed, great presenters

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MERLIN Academy teaching experts

All MERLIN Academy instructors are experienced experts in the field of freshwater and wetland ecology, restoration and Nature-based Solutions as well as social science, the financial and different economic sectors. They work at academic institutions, NGOs and private companies. This diversity should make it possible to gain as broad an insight as possible.

The instructors are introduced at each module.

MERLIN Academy hosts

Academy Management Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber

Astrid is a senior scientist at BOKU University with her main fields of work being freshwater biodiversity and ecology with a focus on data management, mobilisation and publication. Astrid is currently coordinating the FLOODTRAIN project as well as leading and managing the development of the MERLIN Academy.

Academy Management Joselyn Arreaga Espin

Josy has been working in science communication at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management at BOKU University for the past three years. With her passion for freshwater, social media and video editing, she's the perfect fit to bring the MERLIN Academy's stories to life, create engaging videos and manage our social media channels.

Academy Co-management Franziska Wenskus

Franziska is a PhD candidate at the University Duisburg-Essen. The topic of her theses is the influence of lateral connectivity and structural environmental variables on species community and distribution patterns of ground beetles (Carabidae). Franziska co-leads the development of the MERLIN Academy.

Joining the MERLIN Academy

For getting MERLIN Academy updates, please add your email to our mailing list.

Thank You