A new IOWater synthesis - Overview of projects, under European funding, related to eutrophication

Carried out with the financial support of the French Agency for Biodiversity (AFB), the study carried out by the International Office for Water focuses on the analysis of actions and research on eutrophication financed by the European Union over the last ten years.

The purpose of this panorama is to visualise the current state of European concerns, to identify the aspects of eutrophication most regularly addressed, or, on the contrary, to point out the most neglected aspects, the lack of research or resources on the subject.

The 45 projects identified are very diverse in nature and structure (basic research, applied research or management projects, single or multi-partner) and represent a European budget of almost 37 million euros. These projects involved more than 160 different organizations (mostly public) over periods ranging from one to five years.

Some have sought to better understand the phenomenon (study of nutrient inputs, study of biogeochemical cycles, study of ecosystem functioning, etc.), while others have focused on the development of concrete tools (modelling, development of ultrasound technologies to prevent algae growth, etc.).

22 projects out of 45 were devoted to combating and supervising eutrophication, which indicates an important need on the part of managers to have tools to remedy the problem.