Can you explain what your role in PONDERFUL has involved?
My role in PONDERFUL has involved the coordination of the management of the consortium, the scientific coordination of the project and the communication with the European Commission. I am also a leader of two tasks: one focused on the temporary ponds and the role of hydroperiod and another about the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in ponds.
Ever since I worked in policy support at the European Commission, I realised that the Water Framework Directive had very little focus on small waterbodies, although they are important and abundant ecosystems. So, I thought that, one day, I should apply for funding to overcome this issue. The perfect call was opened just when I was about to have my daughter, but still I established a consortium and started the PONDERFUL adventure.
How did you come to be interested in ponds and pondscapes?
I am an aquatic ecologist working mainly in lentic waters (ponds, lakes and wetlands) and with interest in the biodiversity and food web structure of these ecosystems and their response to global changes, including climate change and pollution. I am also interested in the factors influencing freshwater biodiversity across continental gradients. Ultimately, I aim to apply my research to solving problems related with the conservation of nature and to do so I pay particular attention at transferring my knowledge into European policies and platforms.
After completing my PhD at the University of Girona (Spain) onthe zooplankton of Mediterranean ponds, I did my postdoc at the University of Oslo (Norway) and the University of Aarhus (Denmark), as a Marie Curie Fellow in the group of renowned freshwater ecologist Erik Jeppesen. I also worked as a research scientist at the European Commission-Joint Research Centre (Italy) where I was doing policy support research within the Water Framework Directive and also had the opportunity to participate in several European projects.
Since 2015, I have been a ICREA Research Professor at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (Spain), where I am Coordinator of the Aquatic Ecology Group. I have also recently established Bionexus charity, with the objective to protect, restore and manage aquatic ecosystems in our Mediterranean region.
What have you enjoyed most about the project?
I have particularly enjoyed collaborating with a large international and multidisciplinary (and highly efficient!) team. This has given me the opportunity to learn about other disciplines outside mine and discover more about the ecology and biodiversity of ponds in other regions.
PONDERFUL is now at its final stage and we have achieved so much in furthering our understanding of ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions. It is exciting that our results are being widely disseminated and will reach a wide audience. My hope is that this will make both decision makers and regular people more aware of the values that small waterbodies provide and support their future creation, restoration and management.
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What is the legacy of PONDERFUL?
When I was asked in an interview four years ago about which could be the main impact of PONDERFUL, I said it would be to raise the profile of ponds and make policy makers aware of the benefits of preserving ponds for the conservation of aquatic biodiversity, the adaptation to climate change and the well-being of the society in general. Now that we have almost finished the project, I think we can be proud of our achievements because, thanks to PONDERFUL, we have been able to reach society at large, raising awareness and providing concrete proof concerning the importance of pond ecosystems.
The legacy of PONDERFUL is a set of tools, like the technical handbook and policy guidance document, the decision tool, the demo-site leaflets, the CLIMA-pond concept, and many more outputs that will support scientists, policymakers and practitioners to get the maximum value when using ponds as nature-based solutions to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis.
How does the future look for ponds and pondscapes?
Now that we have more tools and more knowledge to preserve ponds and pondscapes – and with decision makers being more aware of the benefits of preserving ponds – I can see a brighter future to these small ecosystems.
But, on the other hand, we are in a climate crisis. In some regions, like mine in the Mediterranean, there is less water, and ponds are disappearing at an alarming rate. In other regions the increase in temperature, extreme events and water runoff can exacerbate eutrophication. Therefore, more effort will be needed to preserve these unique ecosystems.
This is the end of the PONDERFUL project, so what happens next?
While this is formally the end of PONDERFUL, it is the beginning of an exciting period when there will be a flourishing of international publications about many different aspects of ponds, including the relation to society and the use of ponds as nature-based solutions. PONDERFUL has also promoted several international collaborations that will maintained through the European Pond Conservation Network.
The consortium is keen to look for future collaborations, particularly outside Europe, as well as new projects – because there is still much to discover about these small but mighty habitats.