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Maximizing ESA Potential for WFD Implementation: Opportunities and Challenges

Learn about the opportunities and challenges of utilizing the ESA for Water Framework Directive implementation, including better ecosystem understanding, policy integration, and communication. Discusses the anthropocentric approach, ecosystem services, scale issues, and measurement challenges. Provides insights for the 2nd RBMP and beyond.

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Maximizing ESA Potential for WFD Implementation: Opportunities and Challenges

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  1. Utilizing the ESA for WFD implementation: opportunities and challenges Eduard Interwies

  2. Background Environmental policy consulting: • Focus on water management (WFD, international), but also marine, agriculture, energy policy • Economics: methods/policy support and instruments But also: • Science-policy interfacing in research projects (e.g. ESAWADI – see working group hydromorphology)

  3. ESA-WFD: opportunities • Support answering open issues from 1st RBMP (Economics? Exemptions?) • Better understanding of ecosystem functions, roles and interactions (land-sea etc.) • Good „linking element“ for policy integration: „bridge“ (nature protection, water management, energy et al.) • Communication: illustrative and understandable (more than WFD!)

  4. Boring?

  5. ESA-WFD: challenges • Anthropocentric approach: focus on “what nature provides humans“: sufficient for sustainability in the long run? Existence values considered sufficiently? • Ecosystem services: even if activities putting pressure on the ecosystem (e.g. oil extraction, hydropower)? Do not confuse ESA valuation with “recognition of the value to protect ecosystems” in the policy process! But: „nice wrong numbers“ for benefits… • Scale issues: broad-scale (WFD) assessment of ES difficult-expensive, even not useful? • Measurement: usual issue of „illusion of precision“ when trying to monetize: just the known benefit valuation problems – or beyond?

  6. Way ahead for 2. RBMP & beyond • Scale: ESA supporting: • strategic assessments (at RB scale?) for balancing policies / selecting policy options and • local (group of WBs?)/specific situations in „hot spots“ with societal conflicts / high ecological threats • ESA as focal point in understanding policy links and interactions (e.g. MSFD-WFD) • Good basis for international understanding and coordination: common language (even beyond EU?) • Clear link of ESA to understanding the „well-functioning“ of ES: don´t just hunt for numbers…

  7. Way ahead for 2. RBMP & beyond CENTRAL: communicate! ESA can help discussing effects of measures/their feasibility (“disproportionality”, Art.4)/acceptance with the stakeholders/the public! • Overall: on content, the ESA does not fundamentally bring new „content“ to modern WFD-implementation – but helps focusing on what is important – and provides a good (necessary!) communication and exchange tool! • ESA is not the “egg-laying wool-milk-pig”…

  8. Thank you for listening! Eduard Interwies Kontakt: Interwies@intersus.eu

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