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River systems are increasingly affected by agriculture and urbanization of riparian areas, leading to frequent human interventions such as bank stabilization or flood protection measures. There is a growing consensus among scientists worldwide that it is necessary to change river management approaches to include hydrogeomorphological processes, and in particular to leave rivers more space for erosion processes to occur. This conference will present the concept of freedom space, which makes it possible to determine a first level (minimum space) comprising areas that will flood very frequently and be highly mobile over the next 50 years, as well as riparian wetlands. The second level (functional space) includes space for larger floods and allows meanders to migrate freely over a longer period. This approach aims to restore and maintain the natural functionality and health of river ecosystems, including the reconnection of habitats. Integrating the concept of freedom space into current river management legislation would therefore promote sustainable management of river systems and increase their resilience to public safety issues linked to climate change and land use, compared with traditional river management approaches based on frequent, spatially limited interventions.