Ecological Quality Assessment in the Water Framework Directive EU Marine Strategy Working Group “Ecosystem-based Approach” Brussels, 16 December 2003 Ecological Quality Assessment in the Water Framework Directive

Key elements protecting all waters, surface and ground waters in a holistic way good quality (‘good status’) to be achieved by 2015 integrated water management based on river basins combined approach of emission controls and water quality standards, plus phasing out of particularly hazardous substances economic instruments: economic analysis, and getting the prices right - to promote prudent use of water getting citizens and stakeholders involved: public participation

Environmental objectives Surface water No deterioration; Good ecological, chemical status; phase out hazardous substances; Restoration Ground water No deterioration;Good qualitative and quantitative status; Balance between abstraction and recharge; Restoration of polluted waters Protection zones Respect all norms and criteria for the protection zones

Water Framework Directive Concept Measures under Water Framework Directive Coordination of all other measures drinking water bathing water urban waste water nitrates IPPC & other industry discharges chemicals pesticides biocides landfills sewage sludge

Implementation timetable 2003 - Transposition into national legislation 2003 - Identification of River Basin District 2004 - Analysis of pressures, impacts, use 2006 - Monitoring programmes operational 2006 - Start Consultation with public 2009 - River Basin Management Plan 2010 - Pricing policies 2012 - Programme of measures operational 2015 - Environmental objectives

River basin districts in Europe (Status: Nov. 2003)

Activities Information exchange and raising awareness (2002-ongoing) Developing guidance documents (2002) Geographical information systems (2002/2003) Testing in pilot river basins (2003/2004) => Manual for integrated river basin management (2004/2005)

State-of-play Progress to date: Finalisation of 13 guidance documents and four technical reports Setting up of pilot river basin network currently 15 pilots in 18 countries Establishment of extensive expert network Increasing awareness through numerous activities

Strategic Co-ordination group “Integrated River Basin Management” New organisation 2003/2004 Water Directors Steering of implementation process Chair: Presidency, Co-chair: Commission Expert Advisory Forum 1) Priority Substances 2) Groundwater (mid-2003) Chair: Commission Art. 21 Committee Strategic Co-ordination group Co-ordination of work programme Chair: Commission Notes for the Speaker: Following an extensive work programme with 10 parallel working groups, the work under the Common Implementation Strategy has been restructured. Since the beginning 2003, four main working groups are addressing the priority working areas under the strategy. The four WGs are set out above. In addition, the Expert Advisory Forum on Priority Substances continues its preparatory work for the future legislation in this area. The process is guided by the Strategic Coordination Group and driven by the Water Directors. In addition, a Regulatory Committee will deal with the issues under the Directive which require further technical adaptation such as the intercalibration process (Note: the intercalibrtation is the comparison on EU level of the ecological classification schemes which are developed by Member States.) Working Group 2.A “Ecological Status” Lead/Co-lead: D, JRC, UK Working Group 2.B “Integrated River Basin Management” Lead/Co-lead: F, SP (JRC) Working Group 2.C “Groundwater” (after end of EAF GW) Lead/Co-lead: COM / AT Working Group 2.D “Reporting” Lead: Commission Stakeholders, NGO’s, Researchers, Experts, etc.

Ecological Quality Assessment With contributions from: Anna-Stiina Heiskanen and Wouter van de Bund, EC- JRC Peter Pollard and Claire Vincent (UK) Ruth Davies (RSPB, UK)

What is ecological status? “Ecological Status" is an expression of the quality of the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems associated with surface waters, classified in accordance with Annex V” WFD Article 2.21

Biological Quality Elements for ecological status Biological Quality Elements Hydromorphological Quality Elements Chemical and Physico- Chemical

Good Ecological Status Good ecological status is a condition in which: Biological quality elements show only slight deviation from the type-specific reference condition Physico-chemical elements are at levels capable of supporting the functioning of the type-specific ecosystem

Biological Quality Elements Rivers Lakes Trans.w. Coastal w. Phytoplankton X X X X Macrophytes X X X X Zoobenthos X X X X Fish X X X

Assessment of ecological status WFD requirements: Characterization of surface waters types (typology) Type-specific reference conditions for biological QE Classification using Ecological Quality Ratios based on biological elements Intercalibration of the Member States biological monitoring results

Coastal Typology Framework WG: COAST: Agreement of common ‘Eurotypes’ based on system B Mandatory factors lat, long tidal range salinity Optional factors exposure depth the others

Coastal Water Water Bodies As Management Units (or Compliance Checking Units) Type B Type A Protected Area (bathing beach) Protected Area (SAC) Low Pressure Coastal Water Significant Pressure Transitional Water Significant Pressure Low Pressure (WG COAST - C.Vincent)

Reference Conditions A condition in which a water body has suffered no, or only very minor anthropogenic impacts to its: Hydromorphology Physico-chemistry Biology Can be in the past or the present Can be derived from observations, historical data or modelling, or where necessary expert judgement

Ecological Quality Ratio High Good Moderate Poor Bad 1 Reference value = EQR Parameter value Biological quality elements

{ HIGH GOOD MODERATE POOR BAD ECOLOGICAL STATUS No or very minor Slight Moderate Major Severe + Quality Standards Physico-chemical Prevent deterioration Restore

Benthic invertebrate community response to organic enrichment Reference groups dominant but the most sensitive groups may be rare. Impact groups becoming non-rare Significant shifts in balance of community apparent (e.g. co-dominance of reference and impact groups) Impact tolerant groups dominating. Sensitive reference groups rare Community severely impoverished. Dominated by very tolerant taxa Relative abundance of groups of taxa V I II IV III Increasing pressure (e.g. organic enrichment) I, II, III, IV, V = Groups of invertebrate taxa. Taxa assigned to groups according to sensitivity/tolerance Angel Borja

Process of class boundary setting Water bodies at risk Type specific reference conditions Characterisation and risk assessment (Annex II) 2004 Setting class boundaries Intercalibration (Annex V, 1.4.1) 2003-6 Operational Surveillance Monitoring program-mes (Annex V) 2006 Ecological classification of all surface water bodies First River Basin Management Plan (Annex VII) 2009 Poor and bad status defined by Member States

Objectives of intercalibration Common interpretation of “good ecological status”, setting targets for restoration and protection Class boundaries consistent and comparable among MS Harmonized classification based on Ecological Quality Ratios (EQR) high good moderate poor bad 1 OK Restoration needed EQR

Intercalibration process Commission IC data base Publishing (Dec/06) Data (Jan/05- Jun/06) Reporting (Jun/06) Member States’ assessment system Potential additional sampling Sites selected for intercalibration (2003/4) Classification of intercalibration site (EQR-value) Member State

Draft Intercalibration Register 915 sites over Europe ~ 10 % Coastal ~ 30 % Lakes ~ 60 % Rivers

Conclusion WFD will provide a mandatory ecologicial classification scheme which is comparable throughout Europe Major scientific and administrative challenge in particular as regards timetable Covers “only coastal, not all marine waters“ Is this a building block for an “ecosystem-based approach“?

EU Research Programmes FRAMEWORK V The Development and Testing of an Integrated Assessment System for the Ecological Quality of Streams and Rivers throughout Europe using Benthic Macroinvertebrates (COMPLETED)t STAndardisation of River Classifications: Framework Method for Calibrating Different Biological Survey Results Against Ecological Quality classifications to be developed for the Water Framework Directive (ON-GOING) t Development, Evaluation and Implementation of a Standardised Fish-based Assessment Method for the Ecological Status of European Rivers (ON-GOING)

EU Research Programmes FRAMEWORK V (cont.) ECOFRAME: Ecological Quality and functioning of shallow lake ecosystems (completed) Development of WFD compatible classification system for shallow lakes CHARM: Characterization of the Baltic Sea Ecosystem: Dynamics and Function of Coastal Types development and testing of ecologically relevant typology, with identification of key biological indicators and their reference conditions (on-going)

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/ environment/water More information On water policy: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/ environment/water WFD CIRCA Information Exchange Platform (incl. guidance documents): http://forum.europa.eu.int/ Public/irc/env/wfd/library JRC - European Centre for Ecology and intercalibration http://ies.jrc.cec.eu.int/eewai Notes for the Speaker: More information on the Directive, the implementation process and also the guidance documents are available on the internet.