Adaptive Strategies to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems

This two day open meeting will present the results from REFRESH to the project to the scientific community (DAY 1) and highlight the implications for management to those tasked with drawing up and implementing policy and with vested interests in improving and protecting water quality and ecosystem status (DAY 2).

On 6th November a science symposium will showcase REFRESH results including case studies bringing together freshwater ecology, process based hydrochemical modelling and socio-economic analysis. Scientists from across Europe will present state-of-the-art research on lakes, wetlands, streams at the catchment level.

On 7th November the focus will be on the implications for management of climate and land use impacts on freshwater ecosystems (in particular compliance with the Water Framework Directive). This is one of a series of four regional stakeholder workshops and the target audience includes water managers, those tasked with revising the River Basin management Plans and conservation bodies interested in the management of freshwater ecosystems. Representatives from the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium will attend. A key component of Day 2 is that stakeholders will be given a platform to respond to the presentation from the REFRESH consortium through a series of discussant presentations.

Central themes of the meeting are:

• Ecological response to changes in stream, lake and wetland temperature, hydrology, temperature and nutrient enrichment (Day 1)
• Modelling ecosystem response to changes in these parameters by external drivers such as land use and climate change (Day 1)
• Assessing problems with current and future compliance with EU policy drivers such as the WFD and Habitats Directive. (Days 1 and 2)
• Identifying cost effective management strategies that will allow freshwaters management to adapt to future change (Days 1 and 2)
• How to improve the science policy interface (Day 2)
• How to improve communication between scientist and managers (Day 2)

Attendance at one or both meetings is open and free (including lunch and wine reception). Registration is however required to ensure we do not exceed capacity. Entry will be by ticket only.

Registration

For online registration visit  http://eu-refresh.eventbrite.co.uk/

For other queries contact Martin Kernan (m.kernan@ucl.ac.uk) 0207 679 0523 / 07902 994 278