Background People turning on a tap at home are often unaware that the quality of the water they are using depends on the protection and maintenance of natural freshwater ecosystems. Raising awareness about the necessity of preserving everyday ecosystem services can be aligned with campaigns involving the habitats and species within those ecosystems. Effective public awareness campaigns that help to halt biodiversity loss frequently use flagship species to affect public attitudes towards forest, ocean and river ecosystems. The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) provides a potential flagship species for this purpose, and otter conservation actions could have knock-on benefits for a wide range of other species in freshwater ecosystems. Objectives The AQUAVIVA project’s main objective was to improve public awareness in Slovenia about the importance of protecting and conserving freshwater ecosystems. By using the European otter as an “ambassador” for freshwater habitats and biodiversity, the project would help implement EU policies relating to wildlife and water. The project aimed to develop an effective tool for communication activities to support the goals of “Countdown 2010” and beyond (to stop biodiversity loss by 2020); as well as following the goal of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), which aims to improve water quality in the Danube and its tributaries. Results The AQUAVIVA project improved public awareness of freshwater ecosystems in Slovenia. An extensive advertising campaign highlighted the issue of biodiversity loss using different media, ranging from eye-catching external bus covers, LCD displays inside buses and shopping centres, and ongoing mobile exhibitions, through to project products such as "retap bottles" and notebooks. Two large outdoor exhibitions were prepared in Ljubljana - one about diatoms from the river Ljubljanica and another about water biodiversity and conservation. Demonstration models representing three levels of biodiversity were permanently exhibited in two other public indoor locations in Slovenia. Three sculptures manufactured from junk found in the rivers were also permanently erected in different locations near rivers. Innovative approaches to communicating biodiversity issues in freshwater ecosystems were effective at raising awareness among the general public, and particularly among the key target youth age group. In addition to the models and waste material sculptures, and giant photos of micro-organisms, the knitwear designer Draž was inspired by the outdoor ‘Diatoms in Ljubljana’ exhibition and named his spring/summer 2014 collection "DIATOMEA"; Draž and the connected Slovene shoe factory Alpina will continue with this nature conservation theme in their next collections. The novel, for a nature conservation project, use of highly-visible bus covers reached a wide audience and proved to be a particularly cost-effective method with a high demonstration value. Educational activities included 30 communication workshops and 59 education days, for the general public and schoolchildren, which reached more people than initially proposed. Coordinating beneficiary LUTRA Institute delivered project outcomes in collaboration with associated beneficiaries IzVRS, a specialised professional management and engineering organisation of fresh and maritime waters, and HOPA, a company working in the field of communication, advertising and production. The measurement of project impact in a public opinion survey in September 2014 showed that awareness about biodiversity and its loss was raised by 34% from 2007 to 2014. Besides, 71% of the respondents agreed with the statement that "biodiversity loss is a serious problem". The project beneficiary LUTRA Institute was invited to take part on the Sava River Basin Commission, to participate in the newly established Sava Water Council, where it can influence local decisions relating to the prevention of pollution, maintaining favourable status of Natura 2000 network sites, and trans-boundary impacts. These issues are crucial for the long-term conservation of the Sava River Basin. However, a range of external factors prevented the project from influencing national policy and legislation. At the European level, the project helped implement a range of policy and legislation, including the Habitats, Birds and Water Framework directives, and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) methods, with the European otter being an effective flagship species in the latter case. The After LIFE communication plan includes a continuation of advertising as one of the strongest activities, with participation in different national events foreseen, as well as at Green Week in Brussels. The demonstration models will continue to link the project with visitors at the National Technical Museum in Bistra and at the information centre of the Goričko Landscape Park. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).