Water Framework Directive and Related Monitoring Programmes

Mayes, Eleanor; Codling, I.

doi:10.1353/bae.2009.0007

“…In Ireland, the approach taken to identifying the SACs on the register of nature conservation protected areas was to first produce a list of habitats and species 'where the maintenance or improvement of the status of water is an important factor in their protection', or water-dependent habitats and species, and to then place each SAC designated for their protection on the register. For the first WFD Characterisation report (EPA and RBDs 2005), a list of 45 Habitats Directive Annex I habitats and 24 Annex II species was produced by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, informed by the work of O ´Riain et al (2005) and was published in Mayes and Codling (2009). Some changes were made to this list during a review conducted by NPWS in 2012: the marsh fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia), which is frequently but not exclusively associated with groundwater dependent ecosystems, was added, while the Kerry slug (Geomalacus maculosus) was removed, as it does not occupy any of the water-dependent habitats.…”

Section: Water Dependencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating nature conservation objectives and measures into the Water Framework Directive

2016

Biology and Environment

0

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The Birds and Habitats Directives are not pieces of water legislation but are integrally, legally linked to the Water Framework Directive (WFD). WFD plans must include measures to support the waterrelated objectives for some 44 water-dependent natural habitats and 22 species protected in Special Areas of Conservation, as well as water-dependent Special Protection Areas. In this opinion piece, it is suggested that insufficient consideration is being given to these linkages, despite the complementary ecological aims of the directives. WFD assessment, with its use of status categories and Ecological Quality Ratio scores, masks biological and ecological meaning, and its focus on relationships to pressure gradients appears to result in biology being used as a surrogate for chemistry. The complexity of WFD language also contributes to poor communication with other natural scientists and the public. Incorporation of nature conservation objectives and measures into the WFD requires an increased involvement of biologists in WFD characterisation, objective setting and planning. AIMS AND SCOPEThe aims of this paper are twofold: first, to provide a WFD audience with some basic background legal and technical material on the Nature Directives (the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC, as amended 2009/ 147/EEC) and Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC)), and how these are interlinked with the WFD (2000/60/EC), with specific reference to Ireland.

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Assessing the impact of fine sediment on high status river sites

Gaffney

¹

,

Daly

²

,

Jordan

³

2021

Science of The Total Environment

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Incorporating nature conservation objectives and measures into the Water Framework Directive

Connor¹

2016

Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy

2

0

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The Birds and Habitats Directives are not pieces of water legislation but are integrally, legally linked to the Water Framework Directive (WFD). WFD plans must include measures to support the waterrelated objectives for some 44 water-dependent natural habitats and 22 species protected in Special Areas of Conservation, as well as water-dependent Special Protection Areas. In this opinion piece, it is suggested that insufficient consideration is being given to these linkages, despite the complementary ecological aims of the directives. WFD assessment, with its use of status categories and Ecological Quality Ratio scores, masks biological and ecological meaning, and its focus on relationships to pressure gradients appears to result in biology being used as a surrogate for chemistry. The complexity of WFD language also contributes to poor communication with other natural scientists and the public. Incorporation of nature conservation objectives and measures into the WFD requires an increased involvement of biologists in WFD characterisation, objective setting and planning. AIMS AND SCOPEThe aims of this paper are twofold: first, to provide a WFD audience with some basic background legal and technical material on the Nature Directives (the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC, as amended 2009/ 147/EEC) and Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC)), and how these are interlinked with the WFD (2000/60/EC), with specific reference to Ireland.

show abstract

Water Framework Directive and Related Monitoring Programmes

Cited by 3 publications

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Incorporating nature conservation objectives and measures into the Water Framework Directive

Incorporating nature conservation objectives and measures into the Water Framework Directive

Assessing the impact of fine sediment on high status river sites

Incorporating nature conservation objectives and measures into the Water Framework Directive

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