Ecological status of lakes and estuaries, challenges and perspectives

Abstract

Despite their numerous uses and their proven role for aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, French water bodies and estuaries have historically been little studied, and their ecological status little documented. The evaluation and monitoring of their ecological quality within the framework of the European Water Framework Directive was a real challenge in the 2000s. Today, the acquisition of quality data over the last two decades and the arrival of new monitoring methods, such as spatial remote sensing or the use of environmental DNA, suggest new prospects for monitoring these valuable ecosystems.