The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) is an independent UK-based registered charity and learned society, founded in 1929, dedicated to understanding and protecting freshwater ecosystems worldwide
. It operates as a "voice for freshwaters," bridging the gap between scientific research and practical conservation.
Aims and Objectives
The FBA's overarching goal is to promote the sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems and resources using evidence-based science. Key objectives include:
Understanding and Protecting: Advancing knowledge of freshwater, brackish water, and groundwater environments to improve their ecological status.
Biodiversity Conservation: Reversing the decline in freshwater biodiversity, particularly by protecting endangered species and habitats.
Scientific Advocacy: Influencing policy makers and practitioners by providing independent, science-based advice.
Knowledge Sharing: Educating the public and training professionals to enhance capacity in freshwater ecology.
Methods and Activities
The FBA achieves its aims through a combination of scientific research, monitoring, and advocacy:
Species Recovery Programmes: The FBA leads on intensive conservation efforts, such as the freshwater pearl mussel captive breeding project, which aims to release thousands of juveniles into the wild.
Citizen Science: The FBA engages volunteers in monitoring water quality and biodiversity, such as the Riverfly partnership and the Big Windermere Survey, allowing for large-scale data collection.
Scientific Research & Facilities: The FBA maintains specialized laboratory facilities in the Lake District and on the River Frome (Dorset) for in-house research on topics like climate change impacts and species ecology.
Data Stewardship: The FBA acts as a custodian for long-term datasets, some dating back to the 1930s, including lake surface temperatures and chemical data from Windermere.
Training and Publications: The FBA runs courses for professionals and enthusiasts (e.g., invertebrate identification) and publishes identification keys, scientific journals, and reports.
Partnership Working: Collaborating with academic institutions, NGOs, and environmental agencies to deliver targeted, action-focused science.
The FBA relies on its membership, fellows, and donors to fund its work, which focuses on key priorities like species recovery and water quality improvements.