Contact Person:

Kinga Krauze

Calls that ERCE-UNESCO researchers are interested in:

• No calls have been added to date

Areas of Expertise

European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology (ERCE) is an institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and a member of the UNESCO Water Family as the UNESCO Centre category II. On a basis of a long-term agreement with the University of Lodz, ERCE forms a twin institute with the Department of Applied Ecology (DEA UL).

ERCE specialises in trans-disciplinary research projects focused on developing system solutions for integrated water resource management and environmental landscape planning, which covers three pillars:

1. Transdisciplinary science: ecohydrology, hydrobiology, freshwater ecology, ecosystem services, environmental chemistry and ecotoxycology, phytotechnology, remote sensingand modelling of ecosystem and landscape processes, socio-ecological research (attitudes towards environment, co-design, benefit analysis);
2. Innovation and science implementation: recommendations for ecohydrological design ofwater infrastructure (reservoirs constructions, rivers rehabilitation, green public space),large scale NBS implementation and demonstration projects, biogeochemical barriers,genetic markers and cyanobacterial toxins, early warning systems for water quality;
3. Consultancy with respect to: Water Framework Directive and River Basin Management Plans, Nitrate Directive, Habitat Directive, Flood Directive, urban spatial planning;
4. Education and capacity building: facilitation of stakeholder process including communication, networking, visioning, scenario building, strategic planning, conflict resolution; education at all levels (from secondary schools, university classes to courses for professionals).

ERCE current activities encompass prototype solutions for reduction of diffuse water pollution in urban and rural system, being at TRL 5-8 and development of large scale catchment management strategies based on replication and upscaling of local NBS (e.g. http://en.ekorob.pl/ecotonic-zone-development, http://www.en.arturowek.pl). Despite implementations in the City of Lodz and the Pilica River catchment, it contributed to establishing UNESCO IHP Ecohydrology demonstration sites in Ethiopia and Tanzania under the Polish Aid Projects of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.