Our aims

MARS is a research project and supports European policies, such as the Water Framework Directive,
and the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources.

We have two target groups: "water managers" assessing and restoring rivers and lakes; and policy makers drafting and implementing policies related to water.

Our main objectives:

To understand the effects of multiple stressors on surface waters and groundwaters, their biota, and the services they provide to humans
To understand how ecological status and ecosystem services are related – if at all
To advise river basin management how to restore multiply stressed rivers and lakes
To advise the revision of the Water Framework Directive on new indicators for ecological status and ecosystem services
To develop methods and software for the Programmes of Measures

Watch the "Introduction to MARS", a short video about how multiple stressors affect water bodies and how MARS comes to answer the open questions. Watch video.