In many rivers around the world, groundwater conditions have a major influence on the flow regime and water quality. Hence, groundwater plays a key role in controlling ecological processes and functioning in rivers, riparian zones and floodplains. As such, it can sustain multiple ecosystems services within river valleys. Deterioration of groundwater bodies, resulting from land use, abstraction or climate change, can significantly alter river flow and quality characteristics that can cause ecological degradation. Therefore, maintaining groundwater-river connectivity is an important aspect of ecosystem conservation and water management policy in river valleys.

Within the framework of REFORM a three-day expert workshop is being organised in Poland to establish an overview of the current knowledge on the topic of groundwater - river feedbacks. In addition, we aim to identify and provide a focus for future research activities and water management policies on this topic during the workshop.

The workshop topics will be:
- Role and relevance of groundwater in environmental flows;
- Riparian and groundwater-fed wetlands – importance of base flow, flow dynamics & water quality;
- Plant ecology of aquatic and riparian zones;
- Groundwater river feedback at different scales;
- Vulnerability and resilience of groundwater-river processes (including effect of drought)
- Current and required policy on groundwater-river feedbacks (WFD)

For further information on the workshop please see the attached .pdf document.