SYMBIOREM at the WETPOL Conference 2025

Between September 7–11, 2025 in Gdańsk (Poland), the international conference WETPOL 2025 was held, bringing together world-renowned experts in the field of natural systems for water and wastewater treatment.

WETPOL (Wetland Pollutant Dynamics and Control) is a biennial international conference uniting scientists, engineers, and practitioners focused on the ecosystem services provided by wetlands, such as water quality improvement, climate regulation, and flood mitigation. First held in 2005 in Ghent (Belgium), the conference has since taken place in Tartu (Estonia, 2007), Barcelona (Spain, 2009), Prague (Czech Republic, 2011), Nantes (France, 2013), York (UK, 2015), Big Sky (Montana, USA, 2017), Aarhus (Denmark, 2019), and Vienna (Austria, 2021).

The 2025 edition addressed recent scientific advances in wetland research, the development of innovative technologies, climate change adaptation, and modern strategies for pollution management. Particular emphasis was placed on microbial and molecular technologies, the integration of wetlands into urban landscapes, and the application of artificial intelligence in wetland ecosystem research.

Prof. Katarzyna Pawęska (UPWr) had the pleasure of presenting a poster titled “Floating treatment wetlands for wastewater purification: an initial laboratory study” on the basis of the SYMBIOREM activities, and co-chairing a dedicated session on: “Molecular and microbial advances related to pollutant fate, disposal and removal in wetlands.”

The topic of floating treatment wetlands and the promising results obtained in improving water quality attracted significant interest among the conference attendees. Moreover, participants had the opportunity to visit an existing installation of floating wetlands in a city park water reservoir.

The conference brought together over 150 participants, including researchers, practitioners, business representatives, and officials from local and national authorities.