COVID-19 and Groundwater-dependent ecosystems

The indirect environmental effects of COVID-19 call attention to increasingly surprising correlations which were previously known only by experts. Due to the decline of tourism and the shutdown of illegal thermal wells, there is water again in the parched lake of Püspökfürdő near Nagyvárad which lake was once the habitat of the last specimens of several animal and plant species.  The question is, how long will the abundance of water last after the cessation of the virus situation, and will only the aspects of tourism count?

“Groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDE) are communities, whose functions are based on groundwater and its surface appearance. These wetlands play a key role in the survival of different species, and in landscape conservation as well. One of the reasons for their damage is water extraction, which results in the transformation of flow systems that provide water supply. This can occur in particular where the persistent water extraction leads to the decrease of the water level, then indirectly leads to the damage of the water-bound ecosystem. In most cases, their restoration is only partially possible even if their protection is integrated into the water resources- and land use management systems.” - in connection with the news published on the index.hu wrote Judit Mádl-Szőnyi, the scientific coordinator of ENeRAG project, that analyzing the sustainable utilization of thermal waters.