Special Lunch Session 1 - May 20

Multi-actor approaches to enable effective mitigation of pesticides in surface water and groundwater

Organisers: WaterProtect, FairWay and TOPPS consortia

Pesticides frequently occur in surface water and groundwater due to inappropriate use, vulnerable conditions of the water bodies or specific climatic conditions. The biophysical characteristics of the agricultural landscape are generally well studied and known through monitoring and modeling, as is the effect of the management or the technologies to mitigate the presence of the products in the water. However, there is still a gap between the scientific technical knowledge and the behavior of the actors (farmers, water agencies, water producers, communities) in a water catchment, which is preventing the effective implementation of the measures. Recently, two EU projects WaterProtect and FAIRWAY have been initiated to investigate practical solutions, governance strategies and policy measures to overcome the barrier between scientific knowledge and practical implementation by local actors. In addition, over the past decade, structured information and advice on good practices to mitigate diffuse and point sources is generated in the TOPPS project.

The aim of the lunch session is to exchange information, advise, and knowledge between the three projects and to come up with a common science-based memorandum containing pressing topics for further action related to protection of water sources.

Partners of the 3 projects will be encouraged to submit abstracts of their research in the relevant IUPAC sessions.