PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
To achieve the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, concerted involvement of the private sector and mainstreaming of successful solutions is needed. Unfortunately, water quality and water ecosystems have deteriorated significantly in Europe over the last 20 years, in contrast to the perception of European residents. Less than 50% of European water bodies show good ecological status. Environmental problems are very similar across the whole EU: eutrophication, pollution, neobiota, land use changes, navigation, traffic and tourism take significant negative influences on the wealth of lakes and wetlands with severe effects on their biodiversity. Challenges such as water abstraction, overuse of ground water, plastic pollution and endocrine disrupting substances have made the situation even more complex. Many lakes and wetlands in Europe are also affected by climate change, causing more droughts and irregular precipitation with negative impacts on water levels and temperature, thermal stratification, water quality, and biodiversity.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the project to establish a legally constituted European Living Lakes Association (ELLA) with NGOs from six European countries has been successfully achieved. Being a legally constituted entity, ELLA was in the position to promote the conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands in Europe though a wide set of initiatives. ELLA acquired funds for new projects, launched campaigns, networked key stakeholders to use their synergies, published best practice examples and influenced policy processes on EU and national levels. Partners gained specific knowledge on aspects concerning lakes and wetlands protection and will work closely together.
Partners gained specific knowledge on lakes and wetlands protection and worked closely with stakeholders to support the objectives of EU Water Framework Directive, EU Biodiversity Strategy and European Green Deal. ELLA worked on the promotion of the conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands to implement environmental legislation and to give priority to lake restoration.
Specific objectives were:
- raise awareness among stakeholders involved in lake management in six lake regions in the EU (with outreach to all EU Member States). Stakeholders better understood the need to protect and restore lake ecosystems, so they increased efforts for implementing measures to improve the resilience of lakes and the people living there;
- increase awareness of companies regarding the importance of lake ecosystems services and the relevance for businesses. Companies were informed about tools such as the Biodiversity Check to consider biodiversity in their decision-making processes, and were motivated to support the restoration of lakes as CO2 insetting projects;
- NGOs and other organisations involved in the management of lakes in the EU has an improved knowledge on aspects which were highly relevant for the long-term protection and increased resilience of lakes, such as restoration methods, how to deal with new pollutants such as microplastics, or new financing sources (e.g. insetting);
- ELLA and its members provided meaningful arguments to improve the legal frameworks - and their implementation – for the protection of water ecosystems (and their related biodiversity and services) in Europe.
RESULTS
The foundation process of ELLA was accompanied by intensive public relations work. Thematic workshops/webinars were held on various topics (e.g. microplastics in lakes, carbon segregation in lakes), which attracted great interest; several position papers, addressed to EU and national policy-makers, highlighted inadequate legislation to protect lakes and wetland, a Flashlight Report describes the impacts of climate change as well as mitigation and adaptation strategies.
The founding member GNF used its expertise in the area of biodiversity checks for companies and, together with the other ELLA members, organised biodiversity checks in various sectors that are contributing to emissions into wetlands and lakes. Although these checks have no direct impact on the project, they are a first step towards implementing measures.
The project contributed to the implementation of the EU Green Deal by participating in 14 consultation processes at national and EU level. For instance, ELLA contributed to the revision of the EU Directive on Restauration of Habitats and to a scientific discussion about measurement of nitrogen emissions in Germany.
