High-Level Panel: Ecohydraulics

Ecohydraulics – connecting inland flow hydraulics with ecosystems

Worldwide, the blue economy has ample room for growth. However, we must not overlook the strong pressures that this generates on marine, lake, and river ecosystems, compromising their good condition. The concept of “sustainable use of resources” now appears obsolete and not sufficient to guarantee the correct functioning of ecosystems that are also essential to human well-being.

Knowledge, technological innovation and sustainable management of marine, lake, and river ecosystems, typical of eco-hydraulics, represent the areas in which investments are made to redesign the concept of sustainability of water environment, which leads to the creation of functional solutions for the protection and to the integrity of ecosystems in harmony with the presence of man.

Focus for the IAHR World Congress in Vienna

In the context of the scenario indicated above, during the congress in Vienna the focus will be more on identifying the feedback between flow characteristics and biological requirements, which is key understanding for managing sustainably inland waters. Here we aim to discuss the advances, needs and issues facing sustainable management of in-land water resources and how linking flow characteristics, hydraulics, and water quality, impact the surrounding ecosystems from in-channel to floodplain.