Focus: Identifying, preserving and promoting blue-green biodiversity

Where aquatic and terrestrial habitats converge, pervading and enriching each other, you find an incredible diversity of lifeforms. But the richness of species is under threat because humans are encroaching on the blue-green habitats.  

In the ‘Blue-Green Biodiversity’ research initiative, researchers from the aquatic research institute Eawag and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscapre research WSL have investigated biodiversity at the interface between water and land. At the Info Day Special on 3 September 2024, the two research institutes jointly presented the results of selected projects. The most important results and key messages have also been published in the magazine ‘Identifying, preserving and promoting blue-green biodiversity’ which we would like to present to you here.  

PDFs and print versions of the magazine are available in German and French only. Selected texts as the interview in chapter 1, the introductions and key messages in chapters 2 to 7 are also available online in English, see below.





Identifying, preserving and promoting blue-green biodiversity


Le magazine à télécharger en PDF Commander le magazine en version imprimée

The magazine was produced for the official conclusion of the research initiative. It has therefore not yet been possible to process all the research results, as the investigations are still ongoing. All results, publications and synthesis products will be published on the Eawag and WSL websites:  

BGB @ Eawag
BGB @ WSL






Chapter 1:
“The blue-green spirit from the research initiative will live on”

An interview with the two co-leaders of the research initiative, Prof Catherine Graham from WSL and Prof Florian Altermatt from Eawag about the innovative value of the Blue-Green Biodiversity research initiative, the close cooperation between the two research institutes and blue-green thinking. Read more

Foto: Alessandro Della Bella, Eawag



Foto: iStock

Chapter 2: Water and land – closely interlinked
The interrelationships between aquatic and terrestrial habitats extend far beyond the riverbank and floodplain areas. These interactions influence the stability, resilience and functioning of entire ecosystems. When conserving and managing habitats, it is essential to take these interactions into account. Read more


Foto: iStock

Chapter 3: Status and development of blue-green biodiversity
There is a great need for action to preserve and promote blue-green biodiversity in Switzerland. The measures taken so far are encouraging and are having an effect, but are not yet sufficient. For example, climate change is a major challenge. Read more


Foto: iStock

Chapter 4: A blue-green success story
The landscape needs more water bodies to promote and restore blue-green interactions. There is a great need for action. But there is also some good news: targeted measures are successful. For example, the construction of several hundred new ponds in the canton of Aargau has greatly boosted or at least stabilised the populations of almost all amphibian species. Read more


Foto: iStock

Chapter 5: Clever cities and communes create blue-green infrastructures
A network of near-natural habitats in urban areas is an attractive solution to mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce biodiversity loss. This requires the multifunctional design of blue-green infrastructure and cooperation between the various players from different specialist areas. Read more


Foto: Isabel Plana, Eawag

Chapter 6: Planning and implementing ecological infrastructure together
Switzerland needs intact networks of ecologically optimised areas that include both aquatic and terrestrial elements. This not only requires an ecological analysis, but also a stakeholder analysis should be carried out in parallel. This allows gaps and synergies to be identified. Read more 




Foto: Alessandro Della Bella, Eawag

Infographic
The “Blue-Green Biodiversity” research initiative has uncovered exciting and sometimes surprising interdependencies between water and land. The blue-green system can be seen in the left half of the illustration. The right half shows a landscape in which water and land are clearly separated (Infographic: Visimon Studio).
Please click on the graphic to enlarge.



Foto: Alessandro Della Bella, Eawag

Chapter 7: Perspective
Around 80 researchers from Eawag and WSL have investigated biodiversity at the interface between water and land as part of the ‘Blue-Green Biodiversity’ research initiative. Together they have 
…analysed and revealed known and newly discovered links between blue and green habitats;
…successfully sought solutions to issues related to the biodiversity crisis at the transition between water and land;
…strengthened interdisciplinary biodiversity research within the ETH Domain and beyond;
…trained a large number of junior researchers in the field of blue-green biodiversity. Some of them will go into practice and use the knowledge they have acquired to plan and implement measures to preserve biodiversity.
Read more



Stay tuned: Eawag Info Day 2025

The  next Info Day on the topic of "The use of our water resources - focus on groundwater" will take place on Thursday, 4 September 2025 in Dübendorf. Interested? Then send us an email to infotag@eawag.ch, so that we can send you the programme flyer as soon as it is published.


Cover picture: Jael Klaus

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If you have any questions or suggestions, please send us an e-mail to redaktion@eawag.ch
or visit our website eawag.ch.

Publisher
Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

Contact
Eawag
Überlandstrasse 133
8600 Dübendorf
Switzerland
www.eawag.ch
redaktion@eawag.ch




The texts and photos credited as “Eawag” on the linked websites are subject to the Creative Commons “Attribution 4.0 International” licence. As long as the source is indicated, this material may be freely copied, redistributed and modified. Further information on the licence.