Objective
Development and standardization of a new biotic index based on the analysis of fish community structure to evaluate the global quality, the conservation and restoration of lotic ecosystems. Monitoring programme of the ecological status of the aquatic ecosystems at the watershed level. Application of this new index in the international watershed of the Meuse and comparison with other physico-chemical and biological indicators.
This project intends to adapt and standardize to the European ichthyofauna a new index of ecological quality assessment based on the attributes of fish communities in order to evaluate the global quality, the conservation and restoration of lotic ecosystems in an international river basin (The Meuse). An international collaboration between France, Belgium and The Netherlands will aim at : 1. Determination of potential zonations in the whole Meuse River basin, through an analysis of historical and recent data. Testing and standardization of sampling methodologies used by the different partners during their regional or national programmes, and definition of ecological guilds for autochtonous fish species. 2. Determination of reference systems by prospecting sites without perturbations in the tributaries and the less altered sites in the main channel. 3. Selection of IBI metrics, and study of the influence of the potential zonations in The Meuse basin. For the main channel, a special attention will be paid on the identification of specific metrics based on the spatiotemporal variations of the fish communities. Multivariate analysis will be used to balance the different metrics. 4. Study of IBI spatiotemporal variation and comparison of its sensibility with other physico-chemical and biological indicators.
Topic(s)
Data not availableCall for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
5000 Namur
Belgium