Synthesis Center on Freshwater Biodiversity Change in Europe
The Synthesis Center is based on an unprecedented and still growing dataset of freshwater biodiversity time series collected across Europe, which allows for testing a broad variety of important hypotheses and research questions equally relevant for science and application. Accordingly, the Synthesis Center will target a wide range of beneficiaries ranging from researchers from different disciplines, including natural sciences, engineering and the socioeconomic sciences, to stakeholders, such as authorities, water managers, NGOs and the broader public.
Main objectives
1) Collation, cleaning, and storage of freshwater biodiversity time series data across Europe, comprising species, community, and trait/function information from European rivers and lakes. The dataset currently comprises > 30,000 time series on invertebrates, macrophytes, fish, diatoms and benthic algae from streams, rivers, ponds and lakes covering 30 European countries, > 50 years, and involving > 180 scientists and data providers.
2) Conducting state-of-the-art analyses to capture biodiversity trends and to uncover possible drivers (e.g. pollution, climate change, and invasive species). This will include environmental driver analyses, state-of-the-art statistical analyses, and predictive modelling.
3) Development of virtual research environments (VREs) for the automation of time series analyses and implementation of AI for data processing. VREs make it easier for researchers and stakeholders to access, process, and analyze complex scientific data.
4) Establishment of a forum for international experts to provide, update, and use data and share expertise. The expert forum brings together researchers and data providers to jointly discuss how best to mobilize so far uncovered data, harmonize and improve data and data flows, and conduct cutting edge data analyses. This process allows for a ‘living’ dataset and ‘live’ results that are continually growing, improving, and serving the public need for a comprehensive understanding of the status of European freshwater biodiversity.
5) Development of a platform for transdisciplinary partnerships and research projects with authorities, NGOs, industry, business and the public. This platform will allow for structured exchanges between researchers, stakeholders and the public to identify and discuss key needs for freshwater resources, such as for agriculture, drinking water, fishing, and recreation through platform-based surveys and workshops.
6) Producing high level scientific publications, policy briefs, press releases and concrete recommendations for practitioners, including water managers and authorities. Following this co-production process, press releases, policy briefs and recommendations for practitioners will be produced that provide actionable guidance for balancing the ecological imperative to preserve and restore freshwater biodiversity with human requirements for freshwater resources, including economic considerations.
Through achieving these objectives, the Synthesis Centre will become an integral part of global biodiversity research at the interface between ecological and socioeconomic needs. Outputs will include the expert forum, the stakeholder platform, and high-level scientific publications and evidence-based recommendations for actions to:
- Implement international directives, such as the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
- Monitor and assess biodiversity, which is necessary to evaluate biodiversity status and freshwater ecosystem health (e.g. as part of the EU Water Framework Directive, EU Habitat Directive)
- Enhance ecological restoration and provide guidelines for designating protected areas
- Mitigate flood and drought risks
- Monetize (costs) impairments to freshwater ecosystems
- Optimize the use of large rivers and lakes for private and commercial shipping and simultaneously improve freshwater ecosystem health (costs) impairments to freshwater ecosystems.
Sample publications:
Sinclair, J.S., Stubbington, R., Welti, E.A.R., Aroviita, J., Baker, N.J., Cañedo-Argüelles, M., Csabai, Z., Cunillera-Montcusí, D., Domisch, S., Ferréol, M., Floury, M., Eurie Forio, M.A., Goethals, P.L.M., González-Ferreras, A.M., Huttunen, K.-L., Johnson, R.K., Kuglerová, L., Larra-ñaga, A., Muotka, T., Paavola, R., Pařil, P., Rasmussen, J.J., Schäfer, R.B., Vannevel, R., Várbíró, G., Wilkes, M. & Haase, P. (2025). Protected areas promote recovery in degraded Europe-an rivers. Nature Communications. Accepted.
Cano-Barbacil, C., Sinclair, J., Welti, E.A.R. & Haase, P. (2025). Recovery and degradation drive changes in the dispersal capacity of stream macroinvertebrate communities. Global Change Biology 31: e70054.
Sinclair, J.S., Stubbington, R., Schäfer, R.B., Barešová, L., Bonada, N., Csabai, Z., Jones, J.I., Larrañaga, A., Murphy, J.F., Pařil, P., Polášek, M., Rasmussen, J.J., Straka, M., Várbíró, G., Verdonschot, R.C.M., Welti, E.A.R. & Haase, P. (2024). Ecological but not biological traits of European riverine invertebrates respond consistently to anthropogenic impacts. Global Ecology and Biogeography 33: e13931.
Cortés-Guzmán, D., Bowler, D.E. & Haase, P. (2024). Spatial and temporal effects of heat waves on the diversity of European stream invertebrate communities. Science of The Total Environment, 176229.
Welti, E.A.R., Bowler, D.E., Altermatt, F., Álvarez-Cabria, M., Amatulli, G. … & Haase, P. (2024). Time series of freshwater macroinvertebrate abundances and site characteristics of European streams and rivers. Scientific Data 11: 601.
Sexton, A.N., Beisel, J.N., Staentzel, C., Wolter, C., Tales, E., Belliard, J., Buijse, A.D., Martínez Fernández, V., Wantzen, K.M., Jähnig, S.C., Garcia de Leaniz, C., Schmidt-Kloiber, A., Haase, P., Eurie Forio, M.A., Archambaud, G., Fruget, J.F., Dohet, A., Evtimova, V., Csabai, Z., Floury, M., Goethals, P., Gábor, V., Cañedo-Argüelles, M., Larrañaga, A., Maire, A., Schäfer, R.B., Sinclair, J.S., Vannevel, R., Welti, E.A.R. & Jeliazkov, A. (2024). Inland navigation is a driver of freshwater biodiversity declines in Europe. Nature Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02414-8.
Sinclair, J.S., Welti, E.A.R., Altermatt, F., Aroviita, J., Álvarez-Cabria, M., Baker, N.J., … & Haase, P. (2024). Multi-decadal improvements in the assessed quality of European stream invertebrate communities are inconsistently reflected in biodiversity metrics. Nature Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02305-4.
Haase, P., Bowler, D.E., Baker, N.J., Bonada, N., Domisch, S., …& E.A.R. Welti, E.A.R. (2023). The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt. Nature 620: 582–588.
Haubrock, P.J., Ahmed, D.A., Cuthbert, R.N., Stubbington, R., Domisch, S., … & Haase, P. (2022). The invasion curve and dynamics of a European-wide introduced species. Global Change Biology 28: 4620 – 4632.
