Core: Freshwater Ecosystems
Department of Environmental Resources
The Freshwater Ecosystems (FE) core group aims to improve the knowledge and understanding of tropical wetland and aquatic ecosystems for biodiversity conservation and sustainable management. The activities of this core group, conducted in partnership with institutions in developing countries, focus on the functioning of wetland and aquatic ecosystems and water quality. Wetlands and littoral zones cannot be addressed in isolation: good management of the surrounding environment and an integrated, multidisciplinary approach are essential.
This core group also carries out studies to identify and address problems in rural, urban and industrial environments of the developing world. These studies are then used in the development of management strategies with local communities, taking into consideration a wide range of cultural, political and socio-economic as well as ecological factors.
The work of the Freshwater Ecosystems core group covers freshwater, estuarine and littoral marine ecosystems, including:
- wetlands, sediments and water quality interactions;
- nutrients, heavy metals and water cycles;
- wetlands for water quality management and wastewater treatment;
- wetland buffers and constructed wetlands;
- ecological models as tools for understanding and evaluating wetland systems;
- biodiversity, benefits and sustainable use of wetland resources; and
- integrated studies of land use, water resources and wetland ecosystems.