A team of PONDERFUL researchers from Spain, Sweden and Switzerland will discuss how ponds could help us to mitigate against and adapt to climate change at INTECOL2022. The international congress, which takes place in Geneva from 28 August to 2 September, is expected to draw a global scientific audience of around 3,000 people, joining in person and online.
PONDERFUL partners Beat Oertli, Malgorzata Blicharska, Aurélie Boissezon, Maria Cuenca Cambronero and Sandra Brucet will lead a session entitled ‘Ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions for adaptation and mitigation to climate change and biodiversity conservation.’ The session will include 17 presentations, covering PONDERFUL findings as well as related research in wetlands and pond ecology.
The PONDERFUL researchers will share how the project is gathering evidence of ponds’ multiple ecosystem services, including carbon storage and climate regulation, water provision and flood control. They will also discuss the benefits of pondscapes to people, including the importance of ponds in leisure and tourism and supporting wellbeing, as well as the policy context of ponds.
Professor Beat Oertli of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland said: “This symposium will enable us to collect and synthesise new information and present evidence-based examples, from all over the world. This is a unique occasion to join our research efforts and help to demonstrate the efficiency of ponds and pondscapes for enhancing biodiversity conservation, together with mitigation and adaptation to climate change”.