Editorial

Abstract

The Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society (AEHMS) convenes biennial conferences regularly in various parts of the world. AEHMS 10 was held in the beautiful and historic city of Siena, Italy, part of the scenic Tuscan region.With AEHMS 10: “The Aquatic Ecosystem Puzzle: Threats, Opportunities and Adaptation,” the Society enters into its third decade of promoting the understanding of ecosystem health, management, and conservation of both marine and freshwater aquatic resources through its ongoing international series of conferences and publications. Previous biennial conferences were held in Canada, Germany, USA, Portugal, Mexico, Netherlands, France, China, and Vietnam. The conference was designed to focus on the current state of the world's water bodies, the common threats/risks they face as well as the application of ecosystem-based science for sustainable management of aquatic resources, hopefully contributing towards solving the complex ecosystem puzzle.The program consisted of 65 oral presentations including 5 keynotes and 3 honorary lectures given to mark the 20th birthday of AEHMS establishment and also included several posters. Papers were categorized into the following themes: Adapting to climate change in aquatic ecosystems: European & global perspectivesBiogeochemical dynamics: Local processes with global implicationsHealth and biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems: Bottom up and top down strategiesIntegrating ecology, toxicology and management: Can laboratory and field approaches meet?Tools, toys and techniques for the 21st centuryBased on the presentations, 25 manuscripts were submitted to the journal and were subjected to peer review as per the guidelines of the AEHM journal. Articles included contain a variety of topics and ecosystems ranging from Australia, Burundi, Spain, Estonia and Italy.I take this opportunity to thank Steven Loiselle who co-chaired the conference with me and his local Committee for organizing the conference. Thanks are also due to Lisa Elder, conference coordinator and other AEHMS staff, namely Susan Blunt, Jennifer Lorimer and Mark Fitzpatrick for their assistance in the development of this special issue.