EMERGE on focus
Project of the European Commission Framework
Programme V: Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development,
Sub-Programme Environment and Sustainable Development
In EMERGE we are building upon previous studies at individual
sites to identify distributions of disturbance and pollution;
distribution patterns of aquatic organisms and fish status; and lake
ecological reference states for for the European mountain lake
population as a whole (>20,000 lakes). We are combining
regionalisation techniques with empirical and process-based
modelling of the main ecological features of the lakes, based on
existing large datasets and specific site-based studies and are
undertaking detailed and innovative socio-economic analyses to
ascertain the values that Society places on these ecosystems and the
costs and benefits inherent in their protection and remediation. We
plan to deliver an integrated GIS/database system linked to the WWW
for presentation and dissemination of a quantitative assessment of
lake ecological status and the methodologies for biological
assessments, together with an environmental and socio-economic
evaluation of present and foreseen threats to mountain lakes. The
project is designed to meet the specific requirements of the
European Water Framework Directive and will contribute to other EU
and UNECE policies on transboundary air pollution.
Objectives
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to assess the status of remote mountain lake ecosystems
throughout Europe following the requirements of the EU Water
Framework Directive;
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to provide an evaluation of our findings in ecological,
environmental and socio-economic terms;
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to provide decision makers with an overall understanding of
remote mountain lakes so that appropriate policy and management
measures can be taken at both European and national scales to
ensure the sustainability of these ecosystems into the future.
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