Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider is exploring the River Gera with members of the public
The FLOW project, run by the University of Jena, the UFZ and iDiv, combines scientific water monitoring with voluntary work
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (right) and the head of the FLOW citizen science project, Prof. Dr Aletta Bonn, are using a landing net to collect organisms from the River Gera in Erfurt.
Image: Peter Runkewitz
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Published: | By: Ute Schönfelder
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider visited the FLOW citizen science project in Erfurt today and, together with members of the Bischleben Angling Association (Sportfischerverein Bischleben e. V.) and the German Angling Association (DAFV), assessed the water quality of the River Gera. The Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig are all involved in this nationwide research project. Together with citizen scientists, FLOW is investigating the ecological status of small watercourses. The focus of the Minister’s visit was on how science, civil society and local stakeholders can work together to protect and ecologically restore streams.
Federal Environment Minister: »We must give streams and rivers more space again.«
During the visit to the River Gera in Erfurt-Bischleben, Federal Environment Minister Schneider took part in the water quality assessment himself. Together with participants in the FLOW project and local anglers, he assessed the condition of the river. In the discussion that followed, those present exchanged views on how small watercourses can be protected and their natural structure restored.
»This summer in particular is a wake-up call that we must treat water, a precious resource, differently than we have done so far. We can see this most clearly in the current low water levels, particularly in the major waterways. Natural water bodies store water, cool the surrounding area and contribute to groundwater recharge. We must therefore give streams and rivers more space again and strengthen their floodplains and flood zones. This also helps to improve the condition of our water bodies. To ensure we have an overview of the condition of the many small streams and rivers across the country, voluntary citizen science projects such as FLOW are invaluable and extremely helpful in combining citizen science with local engagement. I would like to thank all the volunteers for their vital work on behalf of our natural environment. And I am particularly pleased that anglers are also getting involved, as they are here in the FLOW project, and are taking responsibility«, emphasises the Federal Minister for the Environment.
From left: Prof. Dr Aletta Bonn, professor at the University of Jena and research group leader at UFZ and iDiv; Carsten Schneider, Federal Minister for the Environment; and Prof. Dr Bärbel Kracke, Vice-President for University Community and Engagement at the University of Jena, visit the FLOW project in Erfurt.
Image: Peter RunkewitzCitizen science generates data on small watercourses
Since 2021, around 2,000 volunteers in some 200 regional groups across the country have surveyed more than 500 sampling sites in small watercourses as part of the FLOW citizen science project. Participants receive training for this work and, following a standardised procedure, record the watercourse structure, the chemical and physical water quality, and the community of invertebrates, particularly insect larvae.
The composition of these animal communities provides an indication of the extent to which the watercourses under investigation are polluted, for example by pollutants. The project’s findings to date show that around 60 per cent of the sampled agricultural streams fail to meet the ‘good ecological status’ criteria set out in the European Water Framework Directive.
University of Jena combines research and civic engagement
The link between scientific research and social engagement forged within the FLOW project complements official water monitoring and enables members of the public to contribute to the protection of their environment themselves.
»As a university, we want not only to gain scientific insights, but also to put them into practice together with society,« says Prof. Dr Bärbel Kracke, Vice-President for University Community and Engagement at the University of Jena. »FLOW is a prime example of how research and civic engagement come together. This combination of science, participation and engagement is particularly important to us as the University of Jena.«
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider is examining the small creatures collected from the River Gera using a stereomicroscope.
Image: Peter RunkewitzFrom observation to action
Together with the German Angling Association, the scientific partners aim not only to investigate the current state of small watercourses, but also to support simple, locally implementable measures to achieve ecological improvement for streams.
»More than 6 million people fish in Germany. They are out in the local area, know their streams and rivers, and notice when something changes. That is why it is important to combine their experience and commitment with scientific research and to recognise them as active contributors to water protection. »FLOW demonstrates how important participation is for water protection and how we can harness local efforts to bring about concrete improvements to water bodies,« says Alexander Seggelke, Managing Director of the German Angling Association (Deutscher Angelfischerverband e.V.).
The collaboration between science and the voluntary sector is set to go beyond monitoring in the long term: the FLOW team plans to apply the findings from the studies directly on the ground and initiate immediate measures to improve the ecological quality of small watercourses. »Many people get involved in science because they want to achieve something together. We now want to build on the FLOW data and, together with local groups, take the step from citizen science to citizen action in order to improve the ecological quality of streams in a very practical way,« announces project leader Prof. Dr Aletta Bonn, a professor at the University of Jena and head of research groups at the UFZ and iDiv.
Background to the FLOW project
FLOW is one of four flagship citizen science funding projects run by the National Biodiversity Monitoring Centre (NMZB) and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). The project partner is the German Angling Association (DAFV). Scientific coordination is provided by the UFZ, iDiv and the University of Jena.
Contact:
Aletta Bonn, University Professor Dr
- aletta.bonn@uni-jena.de
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