I corsi d’acqua nell’Antropocene: processi e servizi ecosistemici, deterioramento e riqualificazione

Ecosystem processes and services, deterioration and restoration In the last century running water ecosystems have undergone a widespread degradation of either ecological status or water quality. The concurrent climate changes and water exploitation have further resulted in a great hydrological variability often shifting towards the hydrological intermittence. However, the running water ecosystems and the associated lateral areas can be restored, especially their functionality, thus enhancing the ecosystem services they can provide. Among others, the regulation of nitrogen cycling is a key service, this element being a major contaminant in the agricultural context. The capacity of managing processes and functions of running water is also a challenge for implementing environmental policies and related sectoral planning.