The new school year has just begun, and we have already completed intensive field training with students from the Agricultural College and Agricultural Secondary School Benešov on the topic of water retention in the landscape and the revitalization of watercourses. We spent the morning visiting two examples of revitalization that took place at different locations along the Benešov brook. 

The students had the opportunity to see the revitalized stream bed and several newly created pools, where we showed them how revitalization contributes to slowing down water runoff from the landscape, but also what to avoid in order to ensure successful restoration. Students also caught aquatic orgamisms. 

Among the finds were mayfly larvae, but also the predatory water scorpion Nepa cinerea. In the afternoon, we summarized our field findings in a comprehensive lecture on the importance of water in the landscape. We also gave examples of aquatic and wetland ecosystems in our landscape, the problems they currently face, and the possibilities for their revitalization. With the help of samples of several types of substrate, the students were able to test how well different substrate types are able to retain water. Students could verify their assumptions, and see how soil quality affects, for example, the risk of flooding. Using a model of a riverine landscape, we showed how a watercourse in a natural riverbed functions as protection against the formation of a rapid flood wave.

At the end of this exercise, the students tried to design their own project for the revitalization of a selected watercourse. They had newly designed worksheets at their disposal, which had not been included in the lessons until then. Despite the relatively short time available to complete the task, the students coped very well. Their projects included returning selected watercourses to their original beds where possible, designing new beds with meanders and wide floodplains, designing shallow pools, removing rubbish, and so on. Together with the students, we then had the opportunity to discuss the individual projects not only from the perspective of biological diversity, but also from the perspective of the public, which must always be involved in restoration projects. We hope that this gave the students a new perspective on water in the landscape and the obstacles that wetland ecosystems face every day. We are very pleased with the overall positive feedback, but we also appreciate suggestions for future improvements. 

During the field part of the exercise, we also collected material for a VR tour. The students were tasked with taking photos and videos. We arrived equipped with a drone and a special camera that takes 360° photos. Under our guidance, the students will then process this material into their own VR tour, which will allow them to pass on their experiences in an engaging way. They will also review everything they learned about revitalization during the field training.  

With this event, we have kicked off another school year full of intensive collaboration and the transfer of knowledge about ecological restoration into secondary vocational education.

We would like to thank our colleagues from the Faculty of Fisheries and Water Protection at the University of South Bohemia for lending us the amazing model of the riverine landscape and our wonderful assistant Majda for the photos.