EUR 31029 EN This publication is a Technical report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission's science and knowledge service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of this publication. For information on the methodology and quality underlying the data used in this publication for which the source is neither Eurostat nor other Commission services, users should contact the referenced source. The designations employed and the presentation of material on the maps do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the European Union concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. ; International audience ; The assessment of lake status in Europe has evolved during the last few decades from physico-chemical focused assessment to a more comprehensive ecological approach. The EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the assessment of hydromorphological and physico-chemical conditions of lakes considered as supporting elements of the biological communities. The WFD describes the hydromorphology of lakes using quality elements belonging to the hydrological regime on the one hand and to morphological conditions on the other hand. A lake can achieve good ecological status only if the aforementioned quality elements correspond to natural conditions or deviate from them very slightly. Therefore, hydromorphological assessment is crucial for ecological status assessment. During summer 2020, an inventory of the HYMO assessment and monitoring methods currently implemented or under development in the different European countries for WFD implementation was conducted. This study summarises key information reported ...
EUR 31029 EN This publication is a Technical report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission's science and knowledge service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of this publication. For information on the methodology and quality underlying the data used in this publication for which the source is neither Eurostat nor other Commission services, users should contact the referenced source. The designations employed and the presentation of material on the maps do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the European Union concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. ; International audience ; The assessment of lake status in Europe has evolved during the last few decades from physico-chemical focused assessment to a more comprehensive ecological approach. The EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the assessment of hydromorphological and physico-chemical conditions of lakes considered as supporting elements of the biological communities. The WFD describes the hydromorphology of lakes using quality elements belonging to the hydrological regime on the one hand and to morphological conditions on the other hand. A lake can achieve good ecological status only if the aforementioned quality elements correspond to natural conditions or deviate from them very slightly. Therefore, hydromorphological assessment is crucial for ecological status assessment. During summer 2020, an inventory of the HYMO assessment and monitoring methods currently implemented or under development in the different European countries for WFD implementation was conducted. This study summarises key information reported through the aforementioned inventory in order to get a comprehensive overview of the hydromorphological methods at the present time and to contribute to more common understanding of how hydromorphological conditions are defined and hydromorphological changes are characterised in different national contexts in Europe. The high response rate of the European survey makes it possible to provide a comprehensive overview of lake hydromorphological assessment and monitoring methods implemented or under development in the different European countries.Currently, 33 methods are applied or in development in 20 countries, 20 are currently assessment methods, 10 are monitoring methods and 3 methods will be replace by new protocols. This report gives also a basis to carry out future relevant good practices suitable with standards such as the water quality guidance standard on assessing the hydromorphological features of lakes – EN 16039:2011 and the water quality guidance standard on determining the degree of modification of lake hydromorphology – EN 16870:2017. Hydrological characteristics are relatively well taken into account by the different countries except the residence time although its evaluation is recommended in the EN 16039:2011 standard. Surface-groundwater interactions and stratification/mixing are also poorly taken into account in the different countries even though the interactions between surface water and groundwater are characterised in a majority of countries but not used to assess lake conditions. Morphological characteristics are also relatively well taken into account by the different countries, in particular lake depth variation, shape of the littoral zone and shore zone aquatic vegetation. Nevertheless, the planform pattern, substrate and aquatic vegetation in the open water are still poorly used to evaluate lake conditions although their evaluation is recommended in the EN 16039:2011 standard. All of the 20 current assessment methods use a scoring system which are mostly quantitative although the degree of confidence is still poorly included in the methods. However, the scoring system and the way in which class thresholds are defined remain to be specified by the different countries.Finally, two main hurdles remain; a methodological hurdle with the determination of reference conditions which is not clearly defined for many countries although this is essential when assessing lake conditions and a scientific hurdle with regard to the link with biology of the different hydromorphological assessment methods. In order to improve best practices and write recommendations further information is needed on how reference conditions and classification are undertaken at Member State level for assessing lake hydromorphology.
International audience ; Social and scientific factors are deeply enmeshed in each other within the development and the use of ecological indicators (EI). Yet low research has assessed which factors contribute to selecting ecological indicators on the long-term. This article proposes to study the historical construction of EI by examining ecological, political, and social background of specific places where EI were developed, in France on lakes and rivers. Our major findings in France were that ecological indicators were never optimised for the present market or political arena. Instead EI development was typically recycling previous tools that were elaborated for other purposes by environmentally committed outsiders, without regular funding. We found that regular funding for monitoring an EI was only provided when it matched an institution's goal. Beyond the geographically limited relevance of the case studies, these results therefore improve the theoretical framework we deploy when constructing or relying on indicators.
International audience ; Social and scientific factors are deeply enmeshed in each other within the development and the use of ecological indicators (EI). Yet low research has assessed which factors contribute to selecting ecological indicators on the long-term. This article proposes to study the historical construction of EI by examining ecological, political, and social background of specific places where EI were developed, in France on lakes and rivers. Our major findings in France were that ecological indicators were never optimised for the present market or political arena. Instead EI development was typically recycling previous tools that were elaborated for other purposes by environmentally committed outsiders, without regular funding. We found that regular funding for monitoring an EI was only provided when it matched an institution's goal. Beyond the geographically limited relevance of the case studies, these results therefore improve the theoretical framework we deploy when constructing or relying on indicators.
International audience ; This document is the result of work carried out between 2018 and 2020, supported by the International Affairs Department and the Water Department of the National Institute for Research in Science and Technology for the environment and agriculture (Irstea), then by the Directorate for Public Policy Support (DAPP) of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE). It aims to compile and draw a synthesis of all the actions carried out by the teams of the Centre d'étude du machinisme agricole et du génie rural des eaux et forêts (Cemagref) and then Irstea in the methodological development and support programmes for public authorities for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive in France. In a factual way, the logic followed in these programmes and the history of their implementation may provide the reader with the information needed to understand the methods implemented in the monitoring and assessment of the ecological status of water bodies and the constraints of their development, within the framework of a complex system under interaction with the European authorities and other Member States. As such, this book contributes to the preservation of the collective memory of the work and the research and development strategy of the research institute that carried it out. All the authors were attached to Cemagref, which became Irstea in February 2012. In the text, Cemagref will therefore be referred to for the oldest actions, but the two names of the institute will appear without necessarily referring to actions dated before or after 2012. INRAE, the result of the merger between INRA and Irstea on 1 January 2020, may also appear for certain very recent work or work continuing today. Similarly, the CSP (Conseil supérieur de la pêche), then Onema (Office national de l'eau et des milieux aquatiques), the main partner in Irstea's work on these subjects, became AFB (Agence française pour la biodiversité) on 1 January 2017, then OFB (Office français pour la biodiversité) on 1 January 2020. These four acronyms may therefore be referred to in the text depending on the period of activity concerned. ; Ce document est le fruit d'un travail réalisé entre 2018 et 2020, soutenu par la Direction des affaires internationales et le département Eau de l'Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (Irstea), puis par la direction à l'Appui aux politiques publiques (DAPP) de l'Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (INRAE). Il vise à compiler et à tirer une synthèse de l'ensemble des actions menées par les équipes du Centre d'étude du machinisme agricole et du génie rural des eaux et forêts (Cemagref) puis d'Irstea dans les programmes de développement méthodologique et d'appui aux autorités publiques pour la mise en œuvre de la directive-cadre européenne sur l'eau en France. De façon factuelle, la logique suivie dans ces programmes et l'historique de réalisation pourront apporter au lecteur les informations nécessaires pour comprendre les méthodes mises en œuvre dans la surveillance et l'évaluation de l'état des masses d'eau et les contraintes de leur élaboration, dans le cadre d'un système complexe sous interaction avec les tutelles européennes et les autres États membres. À ce titre, cet ouvrage contribue à la conservation de la mémoire collective des travaux et de la stratégie de recherche et développement de l'institut de recherche finalisé qui les a conduits. Tous les auteurs ont été rattachés au Cemagref, devenu Irstea en février 2012. Dans le texte, il pourra ainsi être fait référence au Cemagref pour les actions les plus anciennes, mais les deux noms de l'institut apparaîtront sans forcément faire référence à des actions datées d'avant ou après 2012. INRAE, résultat de la fusion entre l'Inra et Irstea au 1 er janvier 2020, pourra aussi apparaître pour certains travaux très récents ou se poursuivant aujourd'hui. De la même façon, le CSP (Conseil supérieur de la pêche), puis l'Onema (Office national de l'eau et des milieux aquatiques), partenaire principal des travaux menés par Irstea sur ces sujets, est devenu AFB (Agence française pour la biodiversité) au 1er janvier 2017 puis OFB (Office français pour la biodiversité) au 1er janvier 2020. Il pourra donc être fait référence à ces quatre sigles dans le texte en fonction de la période d'activité concernée.
Water resources globally are affected by a complex mixture of stressors resulting from a range of drivers, including urban and agricultural land use, hydropower generation and climate change. Understanding how stressors interfere and impact upon ecological status and ecosystem services is essential for developing effective River Basin Management Plans and shaping future environmental policy. This paper details the nature of these problems for Europe's water resources and the need to find solutions at a range of spatial scales. In terms of the latter, we describe the aims and approaches of the EU-funded project MARS (Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources under multiple Stress) and the conceptual and analytical framework that it is adopting to provide this knowledge, understanding and tools needed to address multiple stressors. MARS is operating at three scales: At the water body scale, the mechanistic understanding of stressor interactions and their impact upon water resources, ecological status and ecosystem services will be examined through multi-factorial experiments and the analysis of long time-series. At the river basin scale, modelling and empirical approaches will be adopted to characterise relationships between multiple stressors and ecological responses, functions, services and water resources. The effects of future land use and mitigation scenarios in 16 European river basins will be assessed. At the European, scale, large-scale spatial analysis will be carried out to identify the relationships amongst stress intensity, ecological status and service provision, with a special focus on large transboundary rivers, lakes and fish. The project will support managers and policy makers in the practical implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), of related legislation and of the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources by advising the 3rd River Basin Management Planning cycle, the revision of the WFD and by developing new tools for diagnosing and predicting multiple stressors. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.
The concept of "reference conditions" describes the benchmark against which current conditions are compared when assessing the status of water bodies. In this paper we focus on the establishment of reference conditions for European lakes according to a phytoplankton biomass indicator—the concentration of chlorophyll-a. A mostly spatial approach (selection of existing lakes with no or minor human impact) was used to set the reference conditions for chlorophyll-a values, supplemented by historical data, paleolimnological investigations and modelling. The work resulted in definition of reference conditions and the boundary between "high" and "good" status for 15 main lake types and five ecoregions of Europe: Alpine, Atlantic, Central/Baltic, Mediterranean, and Northern. Additionally, empirical models were developed for estimating site-specific reference chlorophyll-a concentrations from a set of potential predictor variables. The results were recently formulated into the EU legislation, marking the first attempt in international water policy to move from chemical quality standards to ecological quality targets.
