Lake ecosystems (natural or artificial) are home to great biodiversity and numerous human uses. Their management is therefore a major challenge for national and international biodiversity strategies. However, environmental policies are still hampered by major gaps in knowledge about these environments, and there are currently no synthetic indicators to provide a national vision of the status and trends of lake biodiversity. Observations still often require considerable human and technical resources and the use of methods that are often invasive, selective, and limited in time and space. Furthermore, although the monitoring networks established under the Water Framework Directive provide periodic assessments of water quality, they are limited to large environments (generally larger than 50 ha) and to a few taxonomic groups of bioindicators. Finally, there is currently very little scientifically documented feedback to support management measures that would effectively conserve or restore lake biodiversity.

The axis 1 proposes to overcome these obstacles by developing innovative methods for monitoring lake ecosystems, synthetic indicators of lake biodiversity status and trends, and analyzing the effectiveness of possible management measures.

Climate change is one of the main causes of biodiversity loss in lake ecosystems. The ecological functioning (flow of matter, energy and oxygen) of these ecosystems is highly dependent on thermodynamic movements within the water column. Climate change could therefore profoundly alter their functioning, leading to the disappearance of many species. Climate change could also interact with other anthropogenic pressures, such as eutrophication, and thus thwart efforts to restore and preserve these aquatic environments.

The axis 2 proposes to combine interdisciplinary approaches and innovative methods to monitor and anticipate thermal changes in lake ecosystems, assess the effects on biodiversity and on the functioning of these environments (in particular carbon storage and emission), and test management solutions to mitigate impacts.

Lake ecosystems provide many ecosystem services, but are subject to many local pressures (chemical and hydromorphological) resulting from human activities in the watershed, riparian zone or at the level of the water body itself. These pressures can alter the functioning of aquatic environments, leading to a deterioration in the services they provide and the disappearance of many species. While eutrophication has been the subject of a great deal of research, emerging pollutants, the development of renewable energies (floating photovoltaics, hydroelectricity) and over-use by tourists are raising new issues. If eutrophication has been the subject of a great deal of research, emerging pollutants, the development of renewable energies (floating photovoltaics, hydroelectricity) and over-visitation are raising new questions. In addition, given the chemical and hydromorphological degradation of lake ecosystems, there is an urgent need to capitalise on knowledge to propose effective ecological restoration solutions.

The Axis 3 proposes to re-examine historical pollution from the perspective of the potential synergistic effects of climate change, to address the effects of emerging pollutants and new issues of over-visitation of natural areas and the development of renewable energies, while already exploring the search for solutions to restore and renaturalise degraded ecosystems or seek effective mitigation measures for the main pressures.

Research and monitoring conducted of lake ecosystems (within Pôle and outside) generate a large amount of data and new knowledge. However, to be of real use for public policy, society and concrete action on the field, this data needs to be grouped, made available and assimilated by as many people as possible. The mission of the Pôle R&D ECLA is to promote and transfer scientific knowledge, expertise and mediation.

The axis 4 proposes to centralize, organize and make available the data, knowledge and expertise acquired on lake ecosystems. It is also aims to accelerating the transfer of knowledge to society through scientific and technical valorization, training initiatives and the development of innovative scientific mediation tools. All this work should enable the Pôle ECLA to become a national reference centre on lake ecosystems for scientists, decision-makers, managers and the general public.