The Organizing Committee is pleased to invite all those interested in freshwater sciences to join the Fifth Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences (SEFS5). From the 8th to the 13th of July 2007, Palermo, its University, and in particular the Department of Botanical Sciences and Botanical Garden, have the pleasure to host this meeting organised in cooperation with the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) and the Italian Association of Oceanology and Limnology (AIOL).

These Symposia, coordinated by the Freshwater Biological Association in collaboration with other European freshwater and limnological Associations, are held every two years: the first took place in Antwerp (Belgium) in 1999, the second in Toulouse (France) in 2001, the third in Edinburgh (Scotland) in 2003 and the fourth in Krakow (Poland) in 2005.

Like the previous Symposia, SEFS5 will be devoted to basic questions in freshwater biology and various aspects of applied freshwater science. We would like to bring together all European scientists working on freshwater organisms, freshwater habitats, and freshwater systems. Special attention is devoted to students and young scientists who are at the beginning of their career: the Symposium is an ideal occasion to meet their colleagues and look for reciprocal inspiration, share knowledge, exchange experience and ideas about freshwater ecosystems in the broadest sense and…last but not least, have a nice time.