Institut für ökologische Chemie, Pflanzenanalytik und Vorratsschutz
Small freshwater systems in agricultural landscapes are vulnerable to inputs of plant protection products and fertilizers. Therefore, the fauna in these water bodies can be severely impaired. This is crucial, since small freshwaters host the largest biodiversity compared to other freshwater systems such as lakes and rivers. Due to the reasons above, small freshwaters at the same time host the largest fraction of endangered species on the landscape scale. So far, there is no biological monitoring of small freshwaters. Its conceptual development is complex due to the high number and the large diversity of these ecosystems (e.g. in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania there are about 60.000 small freshwaters in or adjacent to agricultural fields). The JKI currently investigates the effects of agricultural management strategies on the biodiversity of these freshwaters. In MonViA, the JKI will, in close collaboration with the plant protection services of the federal states of Germany, develop a monitoring concept for biodiversity in small freshwaters. Test-projects based on this concept will provide a first overview on the current situation, followed by continuous status descriptions of the biodiversity in small freshwaters in agricultural landscapes.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
