OneAquaHealth project featured in the ‘Looking for Answers’ section

The OneAquaHealth project, led by MARE researcher Maria João Feio, was the highlight of the 5th episode of ‘À Procura de Respostas’, an initiative promoted by the Communication Division of the University of Coimbra and ‘A Nossa UC’. ​

The research project ‘Protecting Urban Aquatic Ecosystems to Promote One Health’ (OneAquaHealth) builds on previous studies that have highlighted the importance of urban ecosystems, such as streams, for people's well-being.

Led by the University of Coimbra and with funding of almost 5 million euros from the European Commission's Horizon Europe programme, the project's main objective is to demonstrate the close relationship between the health of urban aquatic ecosystems and human health. According to Maria João Feio, improving one contributes directly to improving the other.

Urban streams act as ‘green and blue corridors’, offering benefits such as reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and increasing well-being. However, increasing urbanisation has affected these ecosystems, with water pollution, species invasion and the alteration of natural banks.

As well as promoting the preservation of urban ecosystems, the project includes the creation of an online platform that will make it possible to monitor the health of these areas, with the active collaboration of citizens. Through an app, residents will be able to provide information about local streams, contributing to data collection and helping to make more informed decisions.

With 14 partners from 10 European countries, the ‘OneAquaHealth’ project aims to show that restoring and preserving urban streams is fundamental to combating the negative impacts of urbanisation, such as climate change, and improving the quality of life in cities.

To access the episode click HERE