This year’s Annual Scientific Meeting for the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) – held on 11 June at Edinburgh Napier University – explored the theme of “Emerging approaches for freshwater science”.
Across many parts of the world, freshwater habitats – which host 10 times the biodiversity per area than the land or sea – remain at critical risk from climate change. Freshwater vertebrate populations are declining (at a rate almost double that of those on land and in the sea) and rising levels of water pollution are combining with this widespread degradation in freshwater ecosystems.
But advances in robotics, biotechnology, AI, and remote sensing are all expanding the amount and the quality of data available to academics and policy makers exponentially.
The challenge now – and the opportunity – is immense; and the FBA works internationally to reverse the decline in freshwater biodiversity.
This year’s meeting explored a range of new approaches to freshwater science, including bio/hydro acoustics, eDNA, citizen science, drones and the emerging role of machine learning for pattern recognition.
The event shone a spotlight on these cutting-edge methodologies, which are driving action-focused, independent science to help understand and conserve freshwater habitats globally.
The event included keynotes from Jennifer Dodd, Associate Professor from Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Conservation & Restoration Science (CCRS); Bernd Hänfling, UHI Inverness; Brian Hayden Atomic Ecology; and the prestigious early career researcher keynote: delivered this year by Jess Lister, a PhD student in Edinburgh Napier ’s School of Applied Sciences.
Jess (pictured with Dr Dodd) presented her ground-breaking research, which examines the impact of human noise on freshwater soundscapes and animal communication, through a talk entitled: ‘The Plecoptera’s Paradiddle – Advancing acoustic approaches to uncover stonefly behaviour’.
For more information on the issues raised and how our academics in the Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science can help, contact us through the University’s Innovation Hub