Abstract
The use of benthic macroinvertebrates has become an important tool for monitoring the quality of freshwaters. A review is given of the development of the Biological Monitoring Working Party scheme in the United Kingdom (BMWP-UK) and how this has been modified in Poland (BMWP-PL). Methodologies are also described showing how basic data sets collected for the BMWP scheme can be used for the assessment of flow conditions and to identify sites for special conservation measures.