Comparative limnology of waters in a coniferous forest: is a generalisation possible?

The high density of meres and mosses in the Delamere area comes from numerous moraine-hollows formed after the melting of stranded ice-blocks following last glaciation. The main vegetation is of conifers along with some deciduous species and the area was designated as a National Forest Park in 1987. It has been managed since the beginning of the 19th century and is a popular tourist area with walking, orienteering, cycling and educational activities. In recent years this forest park has been attracting over half a million people per year. This paper studies the limnology of different aquatic habitats in the Delamere Forest area in order to give some insight into the waters of a coniferous, temperate forest area, which has so far been largely unexplored. The authors assume therefore, thought that despite apparent large variability in origin, age, surface area, morphometry, catchment size and hydraulic regime, the waters of Delamere Forest might share some revealing chemical and biological features. Seven water-bodies in the Delamere Forest Park area, namely, Black Lake, Blakemere Moss, Delamere Lake, Delamere Quarry, Hatchmere, Windyhowe Farm Spring and Fir Brook were sampled, their water chemistry and dissolved organic carbon and the occurrence of phytoplankton and zooplankton species examined. In a final chapter the authors analyse their findings for patterns.

Futures of inland aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa

The CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is collaborating with partners to develop and implement a foresight-based engagement with diverse stakeholders linked to aquatic agricultural systems. The program’s aim is to understand the implications of current drivers of change for fish agri-food systems, and consequently food and nutrition security, in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Partners include the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD). A key part of the program was a participatory scenario-building workshop held in July 2015 under the theme of "futures of aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa." The objectives for the workshop were (i) to engage local stakeholders in exploring plausible futures of aquatic agricultural systems, and (ii) to broker and catalyze collaborative plans of action based on the foresight analysis. This report presents technical findings from the workshop. The CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is collaborating with partners to develop and implement a foresight-based engagement with diverse stakeholders linked to aquatic agricultural systems. The program’s aim is to understand the implications of current drivers of change for fish agri-food systems, and consequently food and nutrition security, in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Partners include the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD). A key part of the program was a participatory scenario-building workshop held in July 2015 under the theme of "futures of aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa." The objectives for the workshop were (i) to engage local stakeholders in exploring plausible futures of aquatic agricultural systems, and (ii) to broker and catalyze collaborative plans of action based on the foresight analysis. This report presents technical findings from the workshop.