2182 kHz – wollt Ihr wissen, was dahinter steckt? dann bitte via https://t.co/1BfeMGs4LG und die Kopfhörer nicht vergessen! pic.twitter.com/zNvGMf5r8e
— RiSyM stays home (@RiSyM_IGB) April 14, 2022
Nora Meyer et al. (2021): A day on the shore: Ecological impacts of non-motorised recreational activities in and around inland water bodies.
Nora Meyer; Malwina Schafft; Benjamin Wegner; Christian Wolter; Robert Arlinghaus; Markus Venohr; Goddert von Oheimb
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126073
Abstract
With the increasing importance of recreational activities in and around inland water bodies, there is a need for sound knowledge about their ecological impacts. This narrative review summarizes and analyses the ecological effects of the land-based activities walking, biking, nature observing and relaxing on the shoreline as well as the water-based activities swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving, and canyoning. Searching multiple databases with standardized search terms retrieved twenty-six publications for further analyses. While walking was the most studied activity, birds were the most studied organism group, with a focus on individual time budgets and avoidance behaviour. Population-level analyses were exceedingly rare. The most frequently studied activity-effect combinations were walking and birds, walking and terrestrial plants and scuba diving/snorkelling and fishes. Aquatic plants, amphibians, reptiles, water chemical parameters and terrestrial and aquatic algae were underrepresented in the existing literature. No study on mammals was identified. Disturbance often led to temporary behavioural changes of birds and wildlife. Plants were more strongly impacted than animals, suffering from recreation-induced damage and dieback, which led to changes in community composition. The difference in intensity of impact between mobile and sessile organisms calls for different management strategies, depending on local conservation targets. Future studies should focus on underrepresented taxonomic groups and study population or community-level impacts, to collectively provide the sound scientific basis for the sustainable recreational use of inland water bodies, while minimizing or avoiding severe ecological impacts.
Schafft et al. (2021): Ecological impacts of water-based recreational activities on freshwater ecosystems: a global meta-analysis. The Royal Society. Collection.
Malwina Schafft, Bejamin Wegner, Nora Meyer, Christian Wolter and Robert Arlinghaus
Abstract
Human presence at water bodies can have a range of ecological impacts, creating trade-offs between recreation as an ecosystem service and conservation. Conservation policies could be improved by relying on robust knowledge about the relative ecological impacts of water-based recreation. We present the first global synthesis on recreation ecology in aquatic ecosystems, differentiating the ecological impacts of shore use, (shoreline) angling, swimming and boating. Impacts were assessed at three levels of biological organization (individuals, populations and communities) for several taxa. We screened over 13 000 articles and identified 94 suitable studies that met the inclusion criteria, providing 701 effect sizes. Impacts of boating and shore use resulted in consistently negative, significant ecological impacts across all levels of biological organization. The results were less consistent for angling and swimming. The strongest negative effects were observed in invertebrates and plants. Recreational impacts on birds were most pronounced at the individual level, but not significant at the community level. Due to publication bias and knowledge gaps generalizations of the ecological impacts of aquatic recreation are challenging. Impacts depend less on the form of recreation. Thus, selectively constraining specific types of recreation may have little conservation value, as long as other forms of water-based recreation continue.
Gericke, A., Mahnkopf, J. & M. Venohr (2021): Catchments of German surface water bodies. Hydrological Processes Vol. 35(7).
Vári, Podschun, Erős et al. (2022): Freshwater systems and ecosystem services: Challenges and chances for cross-fertilization of disciplines.” Ambio. – 51(2022)
Abstract:
Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened in the world, while providing numerous essential ecosystem services (ES) to humans. Despite their importance, research on freshwater ecosystem services is limited. Here, we examine how freshwater studies could help to advance ES research and vice versa. We summarize major knowledge gaps and suggest solutions focusing on science and policy in Europe. We found several features that are unique to freshwater ecosystems, but often disregarded in ES assessments. Insufficient transfer of knowledge towards stakeholders is also problematic. Knowledge transfer and implementation seems to be less effective towards South-east Europe. Focusing on the strengths of freshwater research regarding connectivity, across borders, involving multiple actors can help to improve ES research towards a more dynamic, landscape-level approach, which we believe can boost the implementation of the ES concept in freshwater policies. Bridging these gaps can contribute to achieve the ambitious targets of the EU’s Green Deal.
English 
German