ID: 613 / 199

Category: Symposia

Track: Pending

Proposed Symposium Title: USING PLANTS FOR RESTORATION, CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF FRESHWATER HABITATS

Abstract: Wetlands are critical ecosystems for biodiversity: although they only cover about 6% of the Earth's land surface, 40% of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands. However, wetlands are among the ecosystems with the highest rates of loss and degradation, disappearing three times faster than forests, and are considered one of the most threatened ecosystems. Indicators of current negative trends in global biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are projected to continue in response to direct and indirect drivers, as well as the impacts of climate change. Over the past 30 years, restoration projects, conservation and management strategies have been increasingly implemented worldwide. Since plants are structural components of most aquatic ecosystems, investigating their distribution, ecology and interactions with other elements of biodiversity is crucial for conserving most of wetland types. The current situation is that much biodiversity data is being collected, but it remains a challenge to synthesize the scattered knowledge, to harmonize and standardize biodiversity data, and to collect it to report, manage and conserve plant biodiversity effectively. As a result, many decision-makers do not have access to the data they need. Addressing these challenges is critical for research and for assessing progress towards conservation and sustainable development. The main objectives of this symposium are the sharing of knowledge, experiences, and criticisms derived from the study of plants living in standing freshwater habitats, considering that successful management derives primarily from the understanding that the ecological processes governing wildlife populations often depend on both the quality of the patch and the structure and functioning of the wider landscape. Thematic would include the integration of traditional monitoring methods with innovative tools (e.g. drones and environmental DNA), the use and sharing of data, and the integration of citizen science.

Speaker 1: Carla Pinto-Cruz Universidade de Évora ccruz@uevora.pt Talk Title: Challenges of Mediterranean Temporary Ponds Restoration

Speaker 2: Bolpagni Rossano University of Parma (Italy) rossano.bolpagni@unipr.it Talk Title: Characteristics, main Impacts, and stewardship of natural and artificial freshwater environments: consequences for biodiversity conservation

Speaker 3: Professor Sandro Lanfranco Faculty of Science, Department of Biology Valletta (Malta) E-mail *Tentative Talk Title: Global variation in the beta diversity of lake macrophytes is driven by environmental heterogeneity rather than latitude Not confirmed yet

Topics (Up to three): Conservation Biology

Topic 2: Restoration Ecology

Topic 3: Global Change Biology

Justification: There is a growing demand for more evidence-based conservation, with data informing decisions and evaluating performance. Data needed include species and threat status; habitat cover and distribution; protected area coverage and management effectiveness. Additional biome-specific data are often useful for management, such as water depth and the abundance and diversity of plants and other taxa, as well their interactions. The recent UN declaration of 2021–2030 as the “Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” will hopefully encourage global implementation of these projects. However, a lack of common indicators of restoration success, conservation and management hinders our knowledge of the general ecological outcomes.