Search results for "water framework directive"

The role of Mediterranean wetlands in climate regulation and greenhouse gases exchanges: from carbon biogeochemistry to European water and nature Dir…

2022

Atesa la seua alta activitat biogeoquímica, els aiguamolls són un dels tipus d'ecosistemes més actius en el cicle global del carboni, amb altes taxes d'intercanvi de carboni i de gasos d'efecte hivernacle (GEH), i, per tant, un gran potencial de regulació climàtica. Una de les parts més importants de la biogeoquímica del carboni als aiguamolls està lligada a les taxes metabòliques, a partir del coneixement de les quals es pot determinar un balanç de carboni associat amb el potencial intercanvi de carboni amb l'atmosfera. La seua capacitat per retindre carboni i mitigar el canvi climàtic, o, per contra, d'alliberar més GEH, i contribuir a l'escalfament global, es determina pel balanç de carb…

Effectiveness of Posidonia oceanica biotic indices for assessing the ecological status of coastal waters in the Saronikos Gulf (Aegean Sea, Eastern M…

2017

Biotic indices are considered key assessment tools in most national and European policies aimed at improving the quality of coastal waters. At present, several Water Framework Directive (WFD)-compliant biotic indices based on the marine angiosperm Posidonia oceanica have been developed and applied in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of four different P. oceanica indices (POMI, PREI, Valencian CS, and BiPo) in evaluating the ecological status of coastal waters in a case study area of Greece. The evaluation, comparison, and validation of the Ecological Status Class (ESC) assessments obtained by each index were based on a set of eight common sites that en…

Estimating the non-market benefits of water quality improvement for a case study in Spain: A contingent valuation approach

2012

Abstract This article addresses an important topic related to the application of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Spanish watersheds. Results on a contingent valuation study, aimed to assess the non-market benefits of water quality improvements in the Guadiana river basin (GRB), are shown. Special attention has been paid to the issue of zero willingness-to-pay (WTP) responses, while addressing the possible presence of self-selection caused by protest responses. The results (i) indicate that sample selection bias is not a problem in our application, (ii) allow us to identify some key determinants of voting behaviour, and (iii) through the use of different econometric models al…

The use of zooplankton metrics to determine the trophic status and ecological potential: An approach in a large Mediterranean watershed.

2021

In the European Water Framework Directive, zooplankton was not included as a Biological Quality Element despite its important place in the aquatic trophic web. In the present study on zooplankton abundances and biomasses, we used several metrics to test their ability to detect differences among trophic statuses and ecological potential levels, and collected a large sum of data in more than 60 reservoirs at Ebro watershed, on more than 300 sampling occasions over 10 years. Our results indicate that most zooplankton metrics are correlated to environmental variables that determine reservoirs’ trophic states, especially chlorophyll a and total phosphorus. The metrics with better sensitivity to …

A proposal for the analysis of price escalation within water tariffs: The impact of the Water Framework Directive in Spain

2017

During the last few decades, numerous international organizations have emphasized the role of pricing policy as a tool to achieve objectives of efficiency, environmental sustainability, and cost-recovery in the management of water resources. Incorporating a certain level of price escalation within water tariffs by adopting increasing block rates is commonly advocated as a key element for controlling water demand and fulfilling these objectives. However, despite its widespread use, there exists no established procedure to measure the levels of price escalation embodied in water tariffs. We propose a measure of price escalation within water tariffs at the level of the water supply management…

River Contracts for Innovation in Territorial Governance

2016

Emerged in France in 1980s as agreements oriented to the requalification of rivers and lakes, river contracts represent an important outcome of the decentralization process, developed in Europe in reply to the growing institutional fragmentation. In this scenario, rivers have become a dialectic arena in which the exploitation and management of water resources came to terms with environmental instances, and offered the breeding ground for concerted efforts between policy makers, stakeholders and communities. In this chapter, the analysis is focused on the river contract model and the related set of instruments capable of supporting concerted and participatory management processes both with r…

Macrophyte assessment in European lakes: Diverse approaches but convergent views of ‘good’ ecological status

2018

Graphical abstract

Response of macrophyte communities and status metrics to natural gradients and land use in boreal lakes

2012

Abstract We studied the relations of aquatic macrophyte communities, ecological quality metrics and water quality to lake characteristics and to land use defined at multiple spatial scales (three lake marginal zones (LMZs) of contrasting width and the whole topographic catchment) in 110 boreal lakes in Finland using ordination and generalised additive modelling. Variation in macrophyte community composition of our lakes was related to water quality, land use, latitude and lake morphology. Relationships of macrophyte status metrics – the proportion of type-specific species (TT50), Percent Model Affinity (PMA) and Trophic Index (TI) – to land use were scale dependent. The proportion of agricu…

Aquatic macrophytes in status assessment and monitoring of boreal lakes

2012

Theoretics and Methodology

2016

Since 2000 in Europe an integrated management framework has been developed to innovate exploitation and safeguard of water resources. In this context the EU Water Framework Directive has identified the hydrographic basin as the optimal territorial unit for promoting new participatory policies, based both on the interaction of stakeholders and the coordination of sectorial instruments. In this scenario, river contracts assumed a strategic role both in addressing these purposes and supporting the dialogue and integration between interests of public and private stakeholders. This chapter illustrates the theoretical and methodological framework, and the comparative approach on which the researc…