WG 2B IRBM Horizontal Guidance on Wetlands Strategic Co-ordination Group Meeting, Brussels, 21st February, 2003

Lead Country: Italy Group Members - delegates nominated from: Austria; Belgium (Flanders); Bulgaria; Czech Republic; Denmark; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Lithuania; Romania, Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; UK; EEB; WWF; DG Evaluwet

As agreed at the Water Directors meeting, Copenhagen, November 2002, a Common Text for Wetlands will be inserted in all Guidance Documents

Common Text for Wetlands, Water Directors Meeting, Copenhagen, 2002 Wetland ecosystems are ecologically and functionally significant elements of the water environment, with potentially an important role to play in helping to achieve sustainable river basin management. The Water Framework Directive does not set environmental objectives for wetlands However, wetlands that are dependent on groundwater bodies, form part of a surface water body, or are Protected Areas, will benefit from WFD obligations to protect and restore the status of water. Relevant definitions are developed in CIS horizontal guidance documents water bodies and further considered in guidance on wetlands.

Pressures on wetlands (for example physical modification or pollution) can result in impacts on the ecological status of water bodies. they are Measures to manage such pressures may therefore need to be considered as part of river basin management plans, where necessary to meet the environmental objectives of the Directive. Wetland creation and enhancement can in appropriate circumstances offer sustainable, cost-effective and socially acceptable mechanisms for helping to achieve the environmental objectives of the Directive. In particular, wetlands can help to:- abate pollution impacts , contribute to mitigating the effects of droughts and floods, help to achieve sustainable coastal management and to promote groundwater re-charge. The relevance of wetlands within programmes of measures is examined in the horizontal guidance paper on wetlands.

WORK PROGRAMME Date Activity October, 2002 Background document, Role of Wetlands in the WFD, produced by EEB/WWF and circulated to SCG November, 2002 – January 2003 Agreement on the establishment of a Working Group for Wetlands and agreement on Common Text for Wetlands at Water Directors Meeting. SCG and Group Members send comments to Group Leader January 2003 Version 1.0 of Wetlands Guidance Document circulated to WG. Wetlands WG Kick-off Meeting, 29/01/03 – discussion of issues and agreement for work ahead. 7th February Group members send in comments of Chapters I & II and Table of Contents of Version 1.0. Comments integrated for SCG meeting 21st February, 2003 SCG Meeting, Brussels 25 February, 2003 WG sent comments from SGC meeting & 2nd Version of document 7th March, 2003 WG deadline for comments to 2nd version 13th March Comments sent to GL & new version of Guidance circulated

* Dates still to be finalised 24th March 2nd Working Group Meeting, Rome 31st March, 2003 Working Group Leader sends new version of draft Guidance Document * 10-12 April, 2003 Third Working Group Meeting, Italy * 24 April, 2033 Final draft Version of Wetlands Guidance Document *End May, 2003 Workshop, Czech Republic June, 2003 Final draft version presented at Water Directors Meeting, June 2003. * Dates still to be finalised

Work Status, 21st February, 2003 Comments received on background document; Version 1.0 circulated (January 2003); kick-off meeting (January 2003); Group Member comments integrated into Table of Contents and Chapters I & II ; and WG Members, Progress Report & Document presented at SCG meeting 21/02/03

Main issues discussed at wetlands kick-off meeting Status of the wetland document; Wetland Definition; Wetlands and Environmental Objectives; Wetlands in the Programme of Measures; Protected Areas

Status and actions following the kick-off meeting…………

……… group members sent comments and suggestions to WGL regarding: Table of Contents; Chapters 1 & II.

New Table of Contents (main points based on group member comments) Description of Wetlands Overview of Wetland Functions Identification – wetlands in water bodies; wetlands not included in water bodies

Characterisation hydromorphological quality elements including the riparian, lake and intertidal zones; wetlands in relation to transitional and coastal waters; wetlands in relation to artificial and heavily modified surface water bodies

Contribution of wetlands to achieve WFD environmental objectives WFD requirements concerning wetlands Objectives for water bodies at high status Objectives for other water bodies Monitoring and hydromorphology

Protected Areas and the WFD Which ecosystems to be included in Protected Areas Register? Monitoring groundwater bodies and dependent ecosystems

Wetlands in the Programme of Measures Basic and supplementary measures; Community legislation; Cost recovery; Measures safeguarding drinking water quality; Measures to address any other significant adverse impacts; Cost effectiveness and Significantly Better Environmental Options; Wetland creation, maintenance and enhancement to achieve WFD objectives; Using wetlands to: achieve pollution control; alleviate impacts of floods and droughts; achieve sustainable coastal management ; enhance groundwater recharge

(relating to Chapters I & II) Main Open point (relating to Chapters I & II) Chapter II, Wetlands Description

During the kick-off meeting (29/01/03) it was agreed to define a wetlands ‘description’ instead of a wetlands ‘definition’

WHY? defining wetlands is extremely complicated; no one definition ever proposed has been universally accepted; it was agreed that a wetlands description would be a more flexible guide for Member States to use for their own national situations

Why are wetlands difficult to define? Ecotones, found along a gradient of hydrologic and ecologic conditions; Variable intrinsically, span across all biomes; Variable over time, seasonally and annually; Variable in their relevance to human activities, some “highly prized”, some a “nuisance”

Some Member States suggested to use Ramsar Convention definition

Ramsar Definition “Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters”

Evaluwet Definition Wetlands are: “heterogeneous but distinctive ecosystems in which special ecological, biogeochemical and hydrological functions arise from the dominance and particular sources, chemistry and periodicity of inundation or saturation by water. They occur in a wide range of landscapes and may support permanent shallow (<2m) or temporary standing water. They have soils, substrates and biota adapted to flooding and/or water-logging and associated conditions of restricted aeration”

Clean water acts amendments 1977 (amended 1984) “The term wetlands means those areas which are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.”

Wetlands Working Group: “Wetlands are heterogeneous but distinctive ecosystems dependent on constant or recurrent, shallow inundation (<2m) by fresh, brackish or saline water, or saturation at or near the surface of the substrate. Common features include hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation and other elements related to chemical and biological processes reflective of recurrent or permanent flooding and/or water-logging.”

WET TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM Ecosystems which are recurrently inundated or waterlogged shallower than 2m deeper than 2m WATER BODY long-term saturated substrate conditions may allow the development of hydrophytic vegetation WETLAND grassland or forest predominates, no hydrophytes WET TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM