Abstract
Monitoring of freshwaters allows the detection of the impacts of multiple anthropic uses and activities on aquatic ecosystems, and an eco-sustainable management of natural resources could limit these impacts. In this work, we highlighted two main issues affecting inland waters, referring to findings from the most inhabited Italian region (Lombardy, approximately 10 M inhabitants): the first issue is lake pollution by old generation pesticides, the second is river development for hydropower. In both cases, some management strategies reducing the anthropic impacts on freshwaters were discussed: organic farming and biocontrol as an alternative to diffuse pollution by agrochemicals; environmental flows and controlled sediment flushing operations to limit the hydropower impact on rivers. Although the two mentioned issues were discussed separately in this paper, the management of water resources should be carried out in a comprehensive way, accounting for the multiple impacts affecting freshwater ecosystems, including those related to the climate changes.
Highlights
Accepted: 10 February 2022Aside from the current climate changes [1,2], freshwaters are affected by many direct anthropic impacts [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
The combined use of bioinsecticides (e.g., Bacillus thuringiensis and entomopathogenic nematodes) seems a promising frontier allowing to increase the efficacy of biocontrol methods by reducing the time needed to eradicate pest populations [60,61]
Another factor that is limiting the success of both organic farming and biocontrol, is the continuous and intensive use of agrochemicals in the surrounding of the fields cultivated biologically
Summary
Aside from the current climate changes [1,2], freshwaters are affected by many direct anthropic impacts (e.g., dams interrupting river continuity and altering hydrological, thermal and sediment regimes, channelization, wastewater discharges, diffuse pollution, introduction of invasive alien species) [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. Environments 2022, 9, 27 and related eco-sustainable management strategies Both issues are included in the list of the major threats (i.e., water pollution, flow modification, and habitat degradation) to freshwater biodiversity [13]. Industrialized, and economically important region of Northern Italy, characterized by theuse, hydrographic network is extremely heterogeneous, from small intensive land widespread urbanization, large agriculturalranging production, and Alpine streams to large lowland rivers draining into thewhich. Lombardy is the most inhabited Italian region, having a total population of 9,964,993 inhabitants, and a density of 418 inhabitants/km2 It is the largest, most industrialized, and economically important region of Northern Italy, characterized by intensive land use, widespread urbanization, large agricultural production, and increasing energy demand, i.e., all structural elements which overlap and interact with the global climate change [20]
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