1. Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems…
Water Directors have endorsed our Technical report (December 2011)
Recommendations:

2. WG-C and GWDTE 2012 Questionnaire ‘Who holds what information?..
Questionnaire circulated July ended September 2012
Outline results presented in Cyprus 2012
Further analysis presented today
Cyprus Plenary: agreed to hold ‘special session’ (today!)
Further work? Discussion at end to today meeting and in light of WG-C mandate

3. Aims of today
Provide a discussion platform to further the GWDTE elements of the Groundwater body classification for the 2nd round of River Basin planning
Understand what the stumbling blocks are to GWDTE assessment in member states, based upon experience during RBMP1 and preparations for RBMP2
Identify where and how Working Group-C and DG environment can help to remove the obstacles
Identify potential methods to develop groundwater Threshold Values for GWDTE that can be used during groundwater body characterisation and classification

4. Questionnaire: Building knowledge of Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystem Environmental conditions
River Basin Management Plans showed that GWDTEs are acknowledged as receptors of groundwater but this fact is hardly addressed within the threshold values.
The main reported reason is considerable lack of knowledge regarding the interaction between groundwater and GWDTEs but also regarding their quality and quantity needs.
This questionnaire was the first step on the path to develop threshold values for GWDTE and aims to create a wealth of shared knowledge of the relationship between groundwater pressure and impact, on the range of groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems across the EU.

5. Aims of the GWDTE Questionnaire
Establish an overview across the EU of organisations or institutes that collect or store measured data of both GWDTE and their chemical and physical environment.
This data could include a
description of the GWDTE and its quality and
the physical and chemical characteristics of the environment that supports the GWDTE.
In particular we are interested in groundwater quality (chemical) data (both within the GWDTE and in the ground water body feeding the GWDTE) and groundwater quantity data (levels / pressures or flows).
To start the development of a network of organisations and people within organisations in order to share knowledge on GWDTE and develop a process to identify Threshold Values for GWDTE.
Decisions on the actual value of a TV for a particular country will remain with each country.

6. General response Very good response: 21 countries responded; THANK YOU
Several countries have identified that the Q’naire resulted in increased interaction with ecologists / Conservation organisations in their country

7. GWDTE Ecology

8. GWDTE level monitoring

9. GWDTE Chemical monitoring

10. Today… Share experience: 7 country examples
Share experience to learn from each other;
Time for discussion AND …. if you have data / experience to share.. We can make time!
Interact and thus develop networks for co-operation
Approaches to establish GWDTE TVs and undertaking the GWDTE Classification test
Genesis and UK/Irish approach
Way forward……