Wetland and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (WAtER) The European Commission, DG XII, has published a Science Plan for the Wetland and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (WAtER) research network, a new thematic research network being financed as part of the Community's Environment and Climate programme. The WAtER research network will ... The European Commission, DG XII, has published a Science Plan for the Wetland and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (WAtER) research network, a new thematic research network being financed as part of the Community's Environment and Climate programme. The WAtER research network will coordinate, in the first instance, the multidisciplinary RTD projects which are being supported by the Environment and Climate programme with the aim of providing a sound scientific basis for European decision-makers for the integrated management of surface water and wetland resources. These projects address a more complete understanding of the functioning and values of aquatic and wetland ecosystems, taking into account their regional differences and their biodiversity. At a later stage, WAtER also intends to integrate the Member States' research on aquatic and wetland ecosystems with the EC-funded project research. WAtER fills a gap in European environmental research as it connects the TERI (Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Initiative) and ELOISE (European Land-Ocean Interaction Studies) initiatives formulated for terrestrial and coastal ecosystems research respectively. Links between WAtER and ENRICH (European Network for Research in Global Change) will also be developed. By launching WAtER, the Commission is increasing coherence and coordination in environmental research by networking research networks so that they can benefit from cooperation rather than duplicate their efforts. Many freshwater research programmes have been launched and funded by the European Community since the mid-seventies (recently also including work on climate change and human impact on European water resources), but most of them have been uncoordinated and insufficiently directed towards agreed common goals. The new WAtER Science Plan will coordinate European scientific research efforts related to the functioning of rivers, lakes and wetlands. It will provide a focal point for wetland research and management in Europe beyond the current Fourth Framework Programme and represents an important contribution to the IGBP (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme). The strategic approach for wetland and aquatic ecosystem research presented in the WAtER Science Plan was developed by a group of international experts invited, by the European Commission, to attend a workshop on wetland and aquatic ecosystem research.
