Department Aquatic Ecology

Anthropogenic pressures are currently having dire consequences on ecosystems globally, causing steep declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. This is particularly true in freshwater ecosystems, where the combined effects of pollution, climate change and invasive species are exacerbated by our reliance on these systems for key ecosystem services, such as drinking water. To track state and change of these ecosystems, routine monitoring is used to assess physico-chemical parameters or biological indicators. These methods often highlight areas under a specific stress. However, because of spatial and/or temporal constraints inherent to many monitoring programs, effectively addressing nuanced threats is challenging. Likewise, while most monitoring programs track biodiversity, they generally do not link it to the associated functions and services provided by the biodiversity present. Within Switzerland, routine monitoring of freshwater ecosystems is well established under four distinct frameworks conducted by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), namely NAWA, NAQUA, NADUF and BDM programme.

These programmes inform decision making for surface- and ground-water. However, there are notable methodological variations between monitoring programs and some systems (e.g., groundwater) are not monitored with respect to their biodiversity at all. As part of the National Research Priority Program (NFO) 82, our project FuturProof integrates and advances environmental monitoring of aquatic ecosystems in Switzerland by establishing common implementable environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches, as a necessary basis for policy making and to ensure their diversity, functionality and ecosystem services. With a highly trans-disciplinary research team, involving biologists, hydrologists and chemists, we capitalize on the infrastructure of all the above-mentioned monitoring programmes and enhance deliverables by incorporating state-of-the-art molecular tools, and linking products and tools to stakeholders in all 26 cantons of Switzerland. The project aims to drive national commitments to biodiversity preservation and safeguard the state of water quality, management of aquatic ecosystems and sustainability of ecosystem services.