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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Extended wetland layer
EU28: ~ 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. 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

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

18. 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

19. Impacts
Most of wetland habitat types in unfavourable conservation status (85%) are suffering a declining trend ( ) (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)

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. Thank you for your attention
Contact details:
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