Maciej Zalewski, Ecohydrology for enhancement of Water, Bioproductivity, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Resilience in MAB Biosphere Reservers, Poland Venice, 16-17 December 2021 Overall responsibility for the views and opinions expressed in the slides is taken by the authors

1. Ecohydrology for enhancement of Water, Bioproductivity, Biodiversity,
Ecosystem Services and Resilience in MAB Biosphere Reservers
Professor MACIEJ ZALEWSKI
Director European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology u/a UNESCO
Chairman of Department Applied Ecology University of Łódz
MAB-IHP Regional Symposium: Managing Water Resources in Biosphere
Reserves in South East Europe and the Mediterranean

2. Photo: Michał Wojcieszkiewicz, december 2015
Mab Bipsphere Reserves as reference point for
the profound understanding :
- Water- biogeochemical proces interaction,
- Water bioproductivity, biodiversity
from mlecular to catchment scale towards
enhancement of WBSR ( Water;
Bioproductivity/Biodiversity; Services for
Society; Resilience)
in the face of the climate change

3. DEDUCTIVE MODEL OF REGULATORY CONTINUUM
OF ABIOTIC-BIOTIC FACTOR
A – abiotic factors
B – biotic factors
E – equilibrum level of A-B
high slope
low slope
S – source
Es – estuary
A-B
factors
desert
tropics
temperate zone
boreal zone
small river
medium river
large river
Integration of
understanding of
hydrological and
ecological processes for
identification of changes
in drivers hierarchy
(Zalewski i Naiman, 1985)

4. Empirical testing of the deductive ABRC model stimulate discovery of emerging
properties of system – „dual regulation”
H → B: Hydrogeology effect on biological structure
of invertebrates and fish biomass in upland river
(Zalewski et al. 1998)
B → H: Complex interactions between hydrological status
and the trophic cascade influencing water quality and
ecosystem services (WBSR) (hydrological processes →
biotic interactions → water quality and ecosystem
services; Zalewski et al 1990
Calcium concentration (mg/L)
Mean
annual
fish
biomass
(g/100m
2
)

5. November 2000 December 2001
October 2002 November 2003
Effect of ground water level restoration
on ecosystem biodiversity and productivity (Spain, Donana )
Prof. I. Llamas

6. HOLISTIC - DEDUCTIVE MODEL OF
WATER/CARBON/BIOTA INTERPLAY
(mod. Zalewski 2002)
Bioproductivity and
biodiversity as a function of
water availability and
temperature.
Water as a key factor of
carbon accumulation in the
ecosystem and temperaturę
as a factor determining
carbon cycling , allocation in
organic matter and biomass.

7. Ecosystems – water „recyclers” - Evaporation from
the vegetation and soils from terrestrial ecosystems
can be a very important source of precipitation for
other areas
The relationship between ecosystems
and the water cycle
Source: Van der Ent et al., 2014
Role of ecosystems in stabilization
of hydrological cycle will be
increasing with climate change

8. Example of a drastic reduction in agricultural landscape complexity – elimination of tree rows and
ecotone land/water buffer zones. The result is drying of soils and organic matter loss due to eolic
erosion and surface flow. Additionally, fertilizers flow down from fields, contributing to the rise in
frequency and intensity of toxic algal blooms in reservoirs situated below (mod. Zalewski 2017).
EOLIC EROSION
Organic matter and
fertilizer loss from soil due
to simplification of
agrocenosis
Organic matter, fertilizer
and pesticide transport
according to the slope
direction
Elimination of wetlands and
ecotones in the river valley
Organic matter, fertilizer and pesticide
transport from agricultural landscape
into water ecosystems
Intensive agriculture – reduction of water and nutrient retentiveness, degradation of
land/water ecotones, eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity loss

9. Homogenization of agricultural
landscape
Reduction of WBSR+CE

10. First principle: mathematical model
of total phosphorus emissions in
catchment
Total phosphorus load from the
catchment to water bodies in
basic scenario
rivers
water bodies
catchment
Ecohydrology
– use ecological processes as management tool
Highly efficient buffer zones: denitrification barrier,
geochemical barrier and phytotechnology – EKOROB
project (awarded Best of Life+ by the European
Commission)
pine sawdyst mixed
with soil limestone
Izydorczyk et al. 2019

11. ELIMINATION OF TOXIC ALGAL BLOOM BY HYBRID SOLUTIONS
RESTORATION OF RESERVOIRS - Biomanipulation
Toxic algal bloom before EH NBS
TSS–165.0 mg/l
TSS-3.4 mg/l
After implementation of EH NBS
LIFE08 ENV/PL/000517
RESTORATION OF RESERVOIRS IN THE
UPPER BZURA CATCHMENT
www.arturowek.pl
Best of the Best LIFE + 2018

12. Kiedrzyńska E., et. al. (in preparation).
Limstone zone Coal zone Sawdust zone
1
Phase
2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase
Wetland with macrophytes
3,5 m 3,45 3,5
0,5 0,5
0,5
monitoring stations
regeneration system -
Sequential filtration of pollutants Biological treatment of pollutants
Outflow from
Treatment Plant
to the SBS
Outflow of the purified
WW to the river
I II III IV
Mean TP reduction: 26%
Max. TP reduction 76%
Mean TN reduction: 48%
Max. TN reduction 97%
Reduction of point source pollution by Ecohydrological Biotechnologies
Enhancing the effectiveness of treatment plants by sedimentation-biofiltration system (SBS)
Kiedrzyńska et al. 2017

13. INTEGRATION OF HYDROENGINEERING AND
ECOHYDROLOGICAL NBS…
100
μg
Flow
P
Month
Month
Zalewski 2020
… for increasing river valley retentiveness (WBSRCE) without
degradation of river continuum (Zalewski 2020, Kiedrzyńska et al. 2021
WB S R
+
-
+
-
W B S R

14. Itaipu Reservoir
2 mln tourists
per year
0,2 mln tourists
per year
Ecohydrological holistic and systemic
approach for Parana floodplain and Itaipu
water quality restoration
(Zalewski Agostinho 2004)
Alternative economic development
and social feedback
decrease of deforestation
and agricultural pressures
Reduction of human impact
on the floodplain
biodiversity protection
Ecohydrological Bacground for
proposal MAB Biosphere Reserve
as a key for large scale systemic
solutions towards SDG
Porto Primawera Dam
modification of hydrological pulses –
decline of fisheries

15. Sequentional constructed wetland
for organic mater and nutrient trapping
conversion into biomass (agriculture)
Ruduction of eutrophication
by conversion nutrients
into agricultural production and bioenergy
Naivasha Lake Kenya (Zalewski Harper in prep.)
Human population
growth (10x/20years)
Eutrophication
of lake - decline
of water quality
Organic matter and nutrients
Transfer into the river
Agricultural and pastoral land use
Deforestation
horticulture development

16. Ecohydrology for impact reduction and resilience enhancement
ecosystem
response to
restoration
(Schafer, 1993)
biodiversity
water
quality
ecosystem
services
Impact (nutrients load)
threshold response
of ecosystem to
impact
high
low high
expected
biomass
15,7 mg/l
observed
biomass
7,1 mg/l
Enhancement of ecosystem resilience
Effect of hydrobiomanipulation in Sulejów
reservoir
cyanobacteria
biomass
[mg/l]
total phosphorus concentration in Pilica [μg/l]
1.
Impact reduction by ecotone
buffering zone
2.
1.
2.

17. • Water is the key determinator for bio-productivity, which in turn stimulates biodiversity,
both of which stabilize the nutrient circulation, energy flow and hydrological mesocycle,
through ecosystems, play a crucial role in providing ecosystem services for society.
• Having enhanced water resources and bio-productivity/biodiversity, creates conditions
for optimization of ecosystem services according to society’s and nature priorities.
• Finally:
having W+B/B+S provides opportunities for development of systemic solutions
towards enhancement of resilience (R) of the whole catchment to climate change.
• Thus…
• Ecohydrology as transdisciplinary science builds a bridge between ecology and
management (Jorgensen 1996) and in consequence builds bridges between the UNESCO
Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, Man and Biosphere and UN Sustainable
Development Goals.

18. Technogarden
or
Nature

19. Thank you!
www.erce.unesco.lodz.pl
E: erce@erce.unesco.lodz.pl
E: maciej.zalewski@biol.uni.locz.pl
E: pawel.Jarosiewicz@biol.uni.lodz.pl
Special Issue 2018:
Ecohydrology for the
Circular Economy and
Nature-Based Solutions
towards
mitigation/adaptation to
climate change
Special Issue 2014:
Ecohydrology
Biotechnology and
Engineering towards the
harmony between
biogeosphere and socjety
on the basis of long term
ecosystem research