MAES EU Wide Ecosystem Assessment The MAES Wetlands Pilot Marco Trombetti & Dania Abdul Malak UMA | ETC-ULS supported by:

Main Messages Importance of wetland ecosystems in Europe Definitions and delineation Main drivers affecting wetland health, integrity, and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services Main pressures affecting wetland ecosystems Status of wetlands Impact on wetland biodiversity Responses

Main Messages Importance of wetland ecosystems in Europe Definitions and delineation Main drivers affecting wetland health, integrity, and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services Main pressures affecting wetland ecosystems Status of wetlands Impact on wetland biodiversity Responses

Importance of wetlands Ecosystem services Despite occupying only 3% of the land surface, peatlands store twice as much carbon as the world’s forests. Source: Global wetland Outlook, 2018

Main Messages Importance of wetland ecosystems in Europe Definitions and delineation Main drivers affecting wetland health, integrity, and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services Main pressures affecting wetland ecosystems Status of wetlands Impact on wetland biodiversity Responses

Definitions and habitats misrepresentation Range of Definitions Ramsar MAES WFD EUNIS Tidal mudflats Urban wetland Alluvial meadows Grasslands, wet meadows Riparian forests Dunes Deltaic areas Salt meadows & marshes Wetlands and policies in the EU: examples of European wetland types and some relevant EU environmental policies Source: Abdul Malak et al., 2018

Improved wetlands nomenclature and delineation Expansion and harmonisation of the MAES nomenclature to fully cover the wide range of wetland ecosystems: Proposal of new wetland ecosystem classes to be integrated in the MAES nomenclature, moved from other MAES ecosystems to wetland ecosystems. The main class shifts would include rice fields, wet grasslands, wet heathlands, and Riparian forests under wetland Fitoka et al., 2017

Extended delimitation of wetland ecosystems Using the “hydro-ecological boundaries” of wetlands allows for their holistic management ensuring: a more effective support to future-looking monitoring, conservation and restoration actions by addressing the wetland ecosystem challenges at a wider scale a better consideration of wetlands in the EU Nature and biodiversity law, namely the: EU biodiversity Strategy to 2020, Monitoring and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) process, the KIP-INCA (Natural Capital Accounting) And global targets: post-2020 targets incl. SDG Target 6.6, Indicator 6.6.1, “change in extent of water-related ecosystems over time” Delimitation of wetland ecosystems: Limits of the natural reserve vs the area of hydrological cycle

Extended wetland layer EU28: ~340.000 Km2 of wetlands 29% CLC Inland wetlands 71% Newly added classes matching hydro-ecological wetlands dimension 2% Rice fields 5% Riparian, fluvial and swamp forest 4% Wet grasslands and pasture 4% Wet heathlands

Main Messages Importance of wetland ecosystems in Europe Definitions and delineation Main drivers affecting wetland health, integrity, and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services Main pressures affecting wetland ecosystems Status of wetlands Impact on wetland biodiversity Responses

Need for Restoration and Mitigation measures Drivers Global megatrends affecting Europe Wetland decline (Quantity and Quality) Climate Change Demography Globalization Consumption Urbanization Cumulative Anthropogenic Pressures Agriculture Fisheries Transport Industry Tourism Urban Sprawl Threat to habitat function Impacts Ecological value Ecosystem Services Socio-Economic significance Need for Restoration and Mitigation measures

Main Messages Importance of wetland ecosystems in Europe Definitions and delineation Main drivers affecting wetland health, integrity, and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services Main pressures affecting wetland ecosystems Status of wetlands Impact on wetland biodiversity Responses

Pressures Major indicators addressed Habitat conversion Introduction of invasive alien species Over-exploitation Changes in ecosystem extent Agriculture Intensity pressure on wetlands Number of annual introductions of Invasive Alien Species Climate change Pollution and nutrient enrichment Other Climate impact & sensitivity Soil erosion Soil sealing Loss of organic matter Exposure to eutrophication MAES Wetland definition = CLC 4.1

Pressure Indicators Agricultural area extent Nutrients input Trends 2010-2020 No change at EU28 level Regional variations (CLC based analysis, ETC/ULS 2019) (CAPRI/CLC based analysis, ETC/ULS 2019)

Main Messages Importance of wetland ecosystems in Europe Definitions and delineation Main drivers affecting wetland health, integrity, and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services Main pressures affecting wetland ecosystems Status of wetlands Impact on wetland biodiversity Responses

Condition Major indicators addressed Structural ecosystem attributes (general) Landscape fragmentation Wetland connectivity Structural ecosystem attributes monitored under the EU Nature directives Conservation status and trends of habitats of Community interest associated to wetlands Conservation status and trends of species of Community interest associated to wetlands Percentage of wetlands covered by Natura 2000 Percentage of wetlands covered by Nationally Designated Areas (%) Structural and functional soil attributes Soil biodiversity (DNA-based richness and abundance) Soil organic carbon (SOC) Bulk density Soil moisture Available water capacity Soil nutrients availability

Condition Biodiversity: A high proportion of wetland habitat types (85%) are considered to be in unfavourable conservation status Trends 2010-2020 Overall decrease in wetland connectivity in EU28 * ETC/BD Work in progress * CLC based analysis, ETC/ULS 2019

Main Messages Importance of wetland ecosystems in Europe Definitions and delineation Main drivers affecting wetland health, integrity, and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services Main pressures affecting wetland ecosystems Status of wetlands Impact on wetland biodiversity Responses

Impacts Most of wetland habitat types in unfavourable conservation status (85%) are suffering a declining trend (2007-2012) (ETC/BD Work in progress) 36% of inland wetland-dependent species are globally threatened (IUCN, GWO, 2018) The capacity of wetlands to regulate floods has constantly decreased in the Mediterranean basin (20% in 30 years) (MWO2, 2018) The projected sea-level rise could cause the loss of half of the coastal wetlands in Europe (Cizkova et al., 2011)

Main Messages Importance of wetland ecosystems in Europe Definitions and delineation Main drivers affecting wetland health, integrity, and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services Main pressures affecting wetland ecosystems Status of wetlands Impact on wetland biodiversity Responses

Ecosystem-based approach (EBM) Policy-relevant implications Connection with deteriorated conditions The connectivity between wetlands and agricultural areas: The EBM allows to better assess the impact of deteriorated areas (i.e. rice fields) on neighboring “conventional” wetlands and points to the importance of restoring optimal conditions for the whole area

Conclusions & Outlook Wetlands functions and services are being impacted: declining quality and quantity Inaccurate and not consistent definition and delimitation of wetlands can make wetlands management inefficient: Need for “hydro-ecological “ delimitation of wetland ecosystems Way forward The support to EU policies: There are clear synergies to be realized between the Birds and Habitats Directives (Natura 2000 network), the Water Framework Directive, the Flood Directive, and other wetland-related policies at the European level New Wetland Strategy: Dedicated EU policies targeting wetlands explicitly are necessary to implement EBM and effective restoration of wetland ecosystems

Thank you for your attention Contact details: marco.trombetti@uma.es daniaabdulmalak@uma.es supported by: