Under the motto “Water as a Resource and Aquatic Ecosystems – From Conflict to Synergy,” the conference focused on reconciling the growing demand for water in agriculture, industry, and urban development with the protection of aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity. Discussions also addressed the challenges posed by climate change, pollution, and invasive species, aiming to explore innovative solutions and proven approaches to foster synergy and sustainable water management.
A special highlight of this year’s meeting was the introduction of a dedicated groundwater session entitled “Groundwater Ecology in Transition: Challenges, Research, and the Need for Integrated Management.” This session featured new findings from the BMBF-funded collaborative projects gwTriade, iMolch, and DarCo Biodiversa+. Results from the gwTriade project were presented in three talks and one poster contribution by Henner Hollert, Hannah Rau, Christian Forberg, and Carolin Bertold.