Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

The Hagneck power station, just before Lake Biel, has been regarded as exemplary in minimising the ecological impact of hydropower since it was re-licensed and attracts many visitors. Elsewhere, however, this modernisation is stalling. (Image: Tourism Biel Seeland, S. Weber)

The current heatwave makes it easy to forget that the first half of 2025 was already marked by severe drought and that snow reserves from the winter were low. A review of water policy developments in 2025 shows that, rather than the availability of water, the Federal Parliament once again focused on the use of hydropower. On the subject of water quality, discussions centred on setting limit values for PFAS and calls for a simplified authorisation process for pesticides.

Green roofs, like the one on the Ethnographic Museum in Budapest, are havens of biodiversity and contribute positively to the urban climate. (Photo: Kilian Perrelet)

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Designing cities with and for biodiversity

June 29, 2026

When planning blue-green infrastructure, greater emphasis must be placed on biological aspects. Systems with higher biodiversity function more effectively.

Fishermen at Shaying river in China. Understanding the diversity and composition of fish communities, and the human impacts on them, is not only relevant from a scientific perspective, but also of economic/cultural relevancy, as in many riverine systems, fish and fisheries is economically important. (Photo © Florian Altermatt/UZH/Eawag)

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Environmental DNA Reveals Impact of Climate and Humans ...

June 24, 2026

A global analysis of fish biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA) reveals how human activity and climate influence biodiversity patterns in river ecosystems. An international research team led by the University of Zurich, Eawag and Yunnan University has found that in warmer climates biodiversity accumulation is more pronounced as river catchment size increases, while human activities weaken this relationship.