News

Head out to the lake for a swim, but have you ever wondered what might be swimming, growing or crawling in the water? A catfish recently attacked several people in the Brombachsee, a lake in Franconia. But just how dangerous are these predatory fish? What other creatures might you encounter in the lake? We take a look at the diverse underwater world of animals and plants, from the harmless to the astonishing.

In an ICPO consultation, the IGB recommends that the salinity of the Oder should be made an important management issue. 

A new joint Policy Report by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (Academia Brasileira de Ciências, ABC), to which IGB researchers also significantly contributed, shows what sustainable and circulation-orientated aquaculture could look like in Germany and Brazil.

IGB gave feedback in the Call for Evidence on the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy and highlighted the central role of water and freshwater ecosystems.

Without algae, little would function in aquatic ecosystems: they are a key component of the aquatic food web and provide oxygen for respiratory animals. But there is ample evidence that their abundance and composition are shifting as a result of climate change. This often has alarming consequences for the communities that live in rivers and lakes – and for us humans. 

IGB researchers gave feedback in the EU consultation on the GreenData4All initaitive.

IGB researchers gave feedback on the planned European Water Resilience Strategy and underlined the relevance of freshwater ecosystems.

Germany's rivers and their floodplains are important resources for us humans and valuable habitats for animals and plants. However, their ecosystem services are being jeopardised by advancing man-made climate change and the ever-increasing pressure of water use. River revitalisation is therefore an important strategic, long-term investment in the future that should not be put on the back burner by politicians and authorities, even in times of economic and security policy challenges. Researchers from the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) emphas