FLOWSAFE

Over 60% of EU surface is degraded, with legacy pollution as a key driver, increasingly worsened by extreme climate events. Floods, most frequent and costly natural disaster, mobilise existing and new pollutants, creating complex mixtures that accumulate in sediments and weaken ecosystems. The EU aims for 90% of degraded habitats to be under restoration by 2050, with bio- and nature-based solutions (NbS) as a way to toxic-free, resilient ecosystems. Yet, conventional remediation is disruptive and most bio-based methods target single pollutants with limited scalability, especially in sediments. FLOWSAFE tackles these challenges with bio- and a NbS for concerted water and sediment remediation, exploiting synergies of phytoremediation, biostimulation, and bioaugmentation relying on native species, supported by biomaterials for pollutant capture and enhancement. Embedded in FLOWSAFE platform, these will address metal(oid)s, microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants (PFAS, PAH), and excess nutrients/organic matter, while secondary tackling AMR. Pollutant profiling, toxicity, and metabolic blueprints will guide site-specific solutions, validated at TRL5 in three EU flood-degraded case studies. Monitoring using advanced smart edge sensors and Earth Observation mapping will feed into an AI-enabled model for local, flexible interventions and predictive flood preparedness. Co-creation will ensure community alignment and end-user adoption, while policy roadmaps will integrate FLOWSAFE in restoration plans. By 2050, deployment across 20k ha in 20 high-value degraded sites will reach >80% mixed pollutant removal, reduce ecological and health risks, and enhance ecosystem biodiversity, resilience, and services. AI tools will halve flood emergency-to-intervention time with >95% accuracy in pollutant prioritisation. FLOWSAFE will thus reinforce the sustainability, circularity, autonomy, and competitiveness of EU remediation and restoration strategies.