Description (EN): The Alps are Europes WATER-TOWERS, providing MULTIPLE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES such as water for human consumption, agriculture, industry, energy and maintaining tourism, recreation & quality of life not only for the residents but also for surrounding lowlands & big metropolitan areas. Alpine rivers are the BLUE BACKBONES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, but only healthy rivers can provide such essential services: they are a VULNERABLE NATURAL CAPITAL under pressure with the need of balancing PROTECTION & DEVELOPMENT. RIVER GOVERNANCE IS FRAGMENTED and diverging among and within countries: so far, knowledge transfer of good practices & policies has been weak. SPARE aims at EXCHANGING, ADAPTING AND CAPITALIZING STRATEGIC PLANNING & RIVER MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCES across different spatial & governance levels. Going beyond administrative borders, the requirements of a catchment wide perspective and trans-national cooperation can be considered. Therefore, SPARE will act in a TRANSDISCIPLINARY WAY combining socio-political, economic and ecological assets and integrating inputs from different stakeholders and beneficiaries. SPAREs main outputs:• a collection of RIVER MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES & BEST SOLUTIONS• a set of GOVERNANCE TOOLS• a pan-Alpine overview of PRIORITY RIVERS with HIGH PROTECTON NEED• GUIDANCES on INNOVATIVE RIVER PROTECTION & MANAGEMENT PROCESSES across different spatial and administrative level• an INTERACTIVE PLATFORM OF KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE Expected Results (EN): Level of integration of the ecosystem services approach in the policy systems of the Alpine Space Expected Outputs (EN): -SPARE''s-beneficiaries in the programme area will be able to integrate a HARMONIZED RIVER MANAGEMENT APPROACH into all levels policies, particularly considering the ECOSYSTEM SERVICES concept and participation processes-PROTECTION ACTIVITIES for river ecosystems will be intensified in the cooperation area due to operability of SPARE problem solving approach-MAINSTREAMING RIVER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES and INCREASING AWARENESS of their benefits will be facilitated by INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATION TOOLS