The 11th Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) World Conference was held in Darwin, Australia, from 23 to 27 June 2025 under the theme “From global to local ecosystem services: pathways to Nature-based Solutions inspired from Down Under”.
ESP World Conferences traditionally offer a global outlook, bringing together both scientists and other stakeholders whose work is related to the theoretical and practical aspects of research and evaluation of ecosystem services and nature-based solutions. The 11th ESP World Conference was attended by more than 250 ecosystem services practitioners.
Water availability and water quality issues are becoming increasingly important worldwide, and aquatic ecosystems and the challenges associated with their management were the focus of many conference reports. Several speakers highlighted the importance of green infrastructure – trees and other vegetation – in restoring watercourses.
The session “O7: Adaptive solutions to enhance positive synergies between forest and water ecosystems”, submitted by Latvian scientists, focused specifically on forest-water interactions and the potential of using these interactions to improve environmental quality. The session was moderated by Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava” leading researchers Zane Lībiete and Arta Bārdule, and included two presentations on LIFE Goodwater IP topics – on the use of nature-based solutions to protect water quality in forest lands and on short-term changes in water quality parameters at LIFE Goodwater IP demonstration sites after the installation of green and blue infrastructure.
The report “Management of riparian hemiboreal forests towards good water quality status: the case of Latvia” highlighted the main surface water quality problems in the Baltic Sea region and looked at water quality protection measures used so far in Latvia in forest lands – sedimentation ponds, surface seepage field, peak flow control structures, with an emphasis on the solutions used in the LIFE Goodwater IP.
The report “Short-term effects on water quality of green and blue infrastructure establishment in riparian forests in Latvia” summarised the first results on the changes in water quality chemical parameters after the improvement of the riparian forest stand structure in the Aģe basin, as well as after the installation of sedimentation ponds and peak flow control structure in the forest drainage system. The first results show a slight and temporary increase in concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds and suspended particulate matter in the riverside as a result of logging, as well as slightly lower concentrations of parameters affecting water quality in the drainage systems downstream of the installed structures. The effectiveness of the structures is expected to be higher as nutrient and suspended sediment loads increase (e.g. due to reforestation of drainage systems or logging in the upstream areas).
During the discussions, the measures to improve water quality implemented under the LIFE Goodwater IP project were praised by other attendees. Overall, the session provided interesting insights into forest-water interactions and examples of nature-based solutions in Australia, Sweden and Latvia.
After the working sessions, it was time to experience the ecosystem services – especially recreation ones – provided by the exotic nature in Darwin.
