Reports, guidelines, and lessons learned for non-scientific communities are announced and published in this section.
Vladimíra Dekan Carreira, Encontro Scientia, Portugal, 18.06.2025
As part of the Encontro Scientia event held at the research centre in Lisbon on 18 June 2025, Vladimíra Dekan Carreira presented research connected to the RECHARGE project, contributing to the dissemination of its objectives and ongoing scientific activities to a broader audience. The presentation highlighted the role of macroinvertebrates as ecological indicators of freshwater functioning and explored how environmental drivers, including nature-based solutions, influence freshwater biodiversity across Europe.
Abstract: Since macroinvertebrates contribute to many processes in freshwater ecosystems and show a high variability in environmental tolerance, they represent a useful tool for assessing the ecological status and functioning of ecosystems. However, knowledge gaps remain regarding their environmental drivers in aquatic habitats built as aquatic nature-based solutions (aquaNbS), especially when working at a continental scale. In the project BiNatUr, we studied the influence of climate, vegetation, water and NbS characteristics in macroinvertebrates across European cities. Similarly, project RECHARGE is studying if aquaNbS can improve water recharge, and support to macroinvertebrate communities. Furthermore, project AquaPlan will quantify the impacts of light and noise pollution on aquatic biodiversity in European waters. Understanding the macroinvertebrate communities is being essential to design appropriate actions in management and conservation of freshwaters in order to improve aquaNbS value for biodiversity support and provision of ecosystem services.