Overview - Monitoring of Small Streams

German Monitoring of Plant Protection Products in Small Streams

The mostly insufficient ecological status of surface waters is most often explained by habitat degradation and excessive nutrient input. But what role do plant protection products play in this context? In the Monitoring of Small Streams (Kleingewässermonitoring - KgM), the influence of plant protection products on small and medium-sized streams and resulting ecological impacts are investigated on a globally unique scale.

Final report of the project "Kleingewässermonitoring II"

The final report on the follow-up project has now been published as UBA TEXT including an English summary of the most important findings.

Final report of the project "Kleingewässermonitoring II"

The aim of the National Action Plan on Plant Protection (NAP) is to reduce the risks and impacts of the use of plant protection products on human health and the environment. The progress of the Action Plan is monitored using various indicators. The results of the small water monitoring are incorporated into the German Plant Protection Index via the indicators "Residues of plant protection products in small waters" and "SPEAR-Index".

Final Report of the project "Kleingewässermonitoring"

The project's final report is available as UBA TEXT also featuring an english summary of the main findings.

Peer-reviewed Publication

"Pesticides Are the Dominant Stressors for Vulnerable Insects in Lowland Streams" reveals the high relevance of pesticides for the ecological status of these small streams and identifies weaknesses in the current risk assessment of pesticides.

Project Coordination:

Prof. Dr. Matthias Liess
Department of System-Ecotoxicology