01-BIODIV-04 The effect of anthropogenic and natural pollutants on habitat designs/interventions targeted towards the prevention of biodiversity loss.

A growing number of pollutants is increasingly detected in a variety of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems as a direct and indirect result of human activity. These include PFAS, pesticides, hormone disrupters, as well as naturally occurring toxins, such as  phyto-, phyco-, myco-, and bacterial toxins, whose concentrations are increasingly driven by eutrophication and climate change. Yet, the impact of these pollutants on the conservation status of habitats, communities, and populations at the terrestrial/freshwater interface is largely unknown. Therefore, we would like to evaluate the loss of biodiversity and the effectiveness of restoration measures in relation to chemical and biological pollution in a large number of ecosystems across Europe.

We would like to include conservation areas of various sizes to ensure broad applicability. Modelling tools will be used to evaluate the effects of potentially co-occurring pollutants and mixture effects on biodiversity and the effectiveness of habitat designs/interventions. These tools can subsequently be used to better assess the effectiveness of planned interventions prior to implementation. Moreover, the developed analyses for pollutants can support future monitoring and validation. Promising pollutant mitigation strategies will be tested in target areas to assess their effectiveness. The results will be combined in a risk atlas for the different pollutants and actionable guidelines for policymakers and ecosystem managers to guide effective conservation and restoration.