European Rivers Network
Who are we ?
Who are we ?
ERN is an NGO engaged in the preservation and sustainable management of water and rivers.
Through a myriad of activities, including information campaigns and educational programmes, the network is involved in the protection of rivers and their ecosystems.
ERN is based in France and holds national certificates (Agréements) it is also recognised by both the French Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry for Youth and Sport and has the Label “Entreprise solidaire”.
ERN is an partner of WWF Europe and WWF Europe as well as WWF France in terms of “Freshwater” and is a long-standing member of the EEB (European Environmental Bureau).
ERN is Cofounder of the Dam Removal Europe platform and Living Rivers Europe Coalition
ERN finances its work through membership fees, donations and partnership with many public and private regional, national and international institutions and with its involvement in a number of European projects.
Many personalities from the fields of art, culture and public-life support the work done by ERN.
Our missions
Our missions
ERN is active throughout the entire french territory, but his sphere of operation stretches to include international rivers and river basins such as the Rhein, Rhone, Danube, Elbe and the Iberian peninsula.
Alongside its own programmes, campaigns and projects, ERN is supporting cross-border interdisciplinary cooperation at local, regional, national and international levels.
ERN is involved with a number of cooperations and maintains lively information exchange within a framework of an informal network related to all key river catchment areas covering the entire European continent.
ERN supports worldwide initiatives in connection with the protection of rivers and their ecosystems, and sees itself as a participant in a social paradigm shift, without which our planet Earth cannot be managed sustainably.
In 1992 the work of ERN (known at the time as SOS Loire Vivante) gained worldwide recognition for the Loire Vivante project with the award of the “Goldmann Environmental Prize”.
Our history
Our history
Following the result of massive citizen movements and campaigns to save the Danube between Vienna and Budapest and the Loire from its source to its mouth (Loire Vivante) in 1994 ERN was founded by Roberto A. Epple in 1998
ERN was created with the technical support of International Rivers Network (IRN), the WWF and the SOS Loire Vivante.
After hosting the ERN secretariat, the association SOS Loire vivante, a French NGO founded in 1989 which led its successful fight against large dams on the Loire from 1989-1994 as part of the Loire Vivante campaign, became 1998 ERN France – SOS Loire Vivante, a non-profit association in 1998.
Our staff
Staff (1.1.2018)
contact : infos (at) ern.org
Coordination Europe / générale
Roberto A. Epple, Founder President, Le Puy / France and Geneva / Switzerland
Main Office
Le Puy, France, (150 km SW Lyon) / France
Director Simon Burner
Antenna Central and Eastern Europe including Eurasie,
Alfred Olfert, Dresden / Germany
Antenna Orleans – Coord. Loire moyenne/aval
Anne Fanny Profit, Orléans/France
Direction and Coordination France :
Simon Burner, Le Puy France
Accounting / Secretary:
Christele Tran Le Puy / France
Catherine Ribeyre Le Puy / France
BlackHydro & dam removal & ecological continuity
Corinne Ronot-Forst, Le Puy / France
Emma Liberati, Le Puy / France
Conservation of ecosysteme and biodiversity
including management of our sites Bonnefont, Lauzet, Chambon in France
Pauline Desfonds, Le Puy / France
Colette Chambonnet, Le Puy France
Living-Natural-Wild Rivers Europe
Europe :
Roberto Epple Le Puy/France
Man and River – Education
Pauline Desfonds, Le Puy, France
Communication / Medias
Roberto Epple et Simon Burner, Le Puy/France
Anne-Fanny Profit, Orleans / France
Romain Pezet, Le Puy /France
Emma Liberati, Le Puy / France
Computing / SIG / Cartography
Romain Pezet, Le Puy /France
Ute Ruf, région Strasbourg, France / Allemagne
Logistique Bonnefont (Info Center Haute Vallée Loire, France)
Jean Paul Chabanon, Le Puy / France
Elian Fontvielle, Le Puy / France
and many volunteers in France and in 25 european Riverbasin
Governance
Board (enlarged) ERN France – SOS Loire Vivante (January 2022) :
Roberto EPPLE – President
Colette CHAMBONNET – Vice-Présidente
André PÉLISSIER – Vice-Président
Guy TRESCARTES – Treasurer
Marie-Hélène CHANDES – Secretary
Elian FONTVIEILLE – administrator
Denis BRIOUDE – administrator
Jean CELLE – administrator
Franck LHORT – administrator
Julien MAURIN – administrator
Scientific /technical Comity ERN France – SOS Loire Vivante (January 2022)
liste available
Contact
ERN European Rivers Network
Main office
8 rue Crozatier
43000 Le Puy-en-Velay – France
contact (at) erninfo.net or ern.info (at) ern.org
+33 (0) 4 71 02 08 14
Our Project Familys
Our Positions
- Dams and Hydropower:
“Less and better” – more → - Ecological continuity:
More free flowing rivers – free way for fish and sediments – more → - Floods:
Living WITH the River – Use nature to reduce risk – Reduce vulnerability – more→ - Large waterways for transportation and embankement :
Adapte the ships to the river and not the opposit – space for the river – more → - Agricultur :
Reducing pollution and water use – Protecting biodiversity – Moving to Eco-Agricultur – more → - Industrial and urban pollution : strengtening the efforts – more → (soon)
We have (co-) founded
- Wild Rivers Programm and Wild Rivers Fund France
- Big Jump Europe (Founder)
- World Day of River Action
- Dam removal Europe (DRE), NGO Platform
- Living Rivers Europe Statement brochure (LRE), NGO Coalition
One of our main partners
We follow the recommendations of The World Commission on Dams Report
ERN is the official WWF Freshwater Partner in France and cooperates with WWF Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands and others
