Ecological classification in the Netherlands

1. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Ecological classification in the Netherlands Diederik van der Molen Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management CIS workshop on national classification systems for the assessment of the ecological status of surface waters Paris, 11-12 June 2007

2. Ecological classification in the Netherlands content • Typology • Biological assessment • General physical chemistry • Hydromorpholgy • Open ends • Heavily modified & artificial water bodies • Intercalibration large rivers • One-out-all-out

3. Objective GEP derived from natural types Ecological classification in the Netherlands Typology Heavily modified & Artificial water bodies Natural water bodies • 10 River types • 9 Lake types • 1 Transitional water type • 3 Coastal water types • ~10 types for ditches and small canals • Typology only for rivers > 10 km2 & lakes > 0.5 km2 • Including large rivers e.g. Rhine and Meuse

4. X Ecological classification in the Netherlands Biological quality elements: annex V.1.1 blooms comp&ab X

5. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Fytoplankton Lakes • Biomass: chlorophyll-a • Composition and abundance combined in blooms-criterion: • EQR fytoplankton = average of EQR(chlorophyll) and lowest bloom-score Coastal- and transitional waters • Biomass: chlorophyll-a • Composition and abundance: Phaeocystis-criterion • Values related to OSPAR convention

6. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Macrophytes Lakes • Abundance: different growth-forms and depth-distribution of the lake • Composition: all species have a positive score (1-4) based on their presence • EQR macrophytes = average of abundance and composition metrics Rivers • Similar for abundance and composition • Fytobenthos: based on %negative indicator species • EQR macrophytes = average of abundance, composition and fytobenthos metrics Coastal- and transitional waters • Quantity and quality of sea-grass • Quantity and quality of tidal-marshes

7. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Macro-invertebrates Lakes and rivers • Based on dominant positive taxa, dominant negative taxa and type-specific taxa Coastal- and transitional waters • Species on the level of the water body • Abundance on the level of the water body • Species of specific habitats • Still in progress - Intercalibration

8. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Fish Lakes • Composition based on general species • Abundance based on • %Bream (eutrophication) • %Pearch&Roach (vegetation) • Limnophilic (vegetation) • ‘Black’ fish (O2 dynamics) • Age structure only for large, deep lakes • EQR fish: weighing of sub-metrics Rivers • Composition (nr species) and abundance (%numbers) based on guilds, e.g. rheophilic • Transitional waters: • Work in progress(Intercalibration)

9. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Relation pressures – quality elements

10. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Deviations from annex V.1.1 pressure: polluted sediments • Tidal rivers: no macro-invertebrates • no confidence on reference conditions • dominated by invading species • Rivers and shallow lakes: no age structure of fish fauna • Large rivers: no data • Small rivers: metrics not good enough (FAME) • Small lakes: too much natural variation • Some coastal types: no macroalgae and angiosperms • Not present, because of high dynamics pressure: commercial fisheries

11. Ecological classification in the Netherlands General physico-chemical elements

12. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Hydromorphology • Assessment only relevant for “high status” and “Maximum Ecological Potential” • Mainly used for diagnoses

13. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Status ecological classification of natural water types • Biology and general physico-chemistry politically approved as provisional objectives • Intercalibration results autumn 2007 • Regional experiences • Final approval Dec 2007 (?) Also (in Latin/Dutch)available on www.kaderrichtlijnwater.nl/start/nieuws/alle/?id=158

14. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Heavily modified & Artificial water bodies • About 95% of lakes and rivers are Heavily modified / Artificial • Water level management in lakes • Dams and shoreline modification in rivers • Artificial canals and ditches • At present local authorities derive ecological objectives for the water bodies • Some follow the Guidance A&HMWB, starting with reference conditions of comparable natural type • Most start with present situation and all relevant measures (“Prague-matic”)

15. 1,0 GES 0,8 GEP 0,6 0,55 0,4 0,42 0,2 0,28 0,15 Ecological classification in the Netherlands Classification of A&HM water bodies Values for metrics of heavily modified water bodies are mainly based on ‘best sites’ … for both biology and physical-chemistry

16. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Large rivers • Rhine, Meuse, Schelde, Eems • Heavily modified • Reference conditions? • High economic value • High ecological potential • How can Intercalibration be used to set the ambition in Europe? • Further action needed?

17. Ecological classification in the Netherlands One-out-all-out?! • 3 – 4 biological quality elements for each type/water body • 5 – 6 general physical chemical quality elements • Checking procedure cf Classification guidance • specific pollutants (Rhine 15, Meuse & Scheldt 7) • O-o-a-o will cause little green on the maps! • Ecological status largely not determined by biology! • Standards for specific pollutants have an ecological basis, • but no clear relation with • biological assessment of the complete ecosystem and • measures other than reduction of emissions • Exclude specific pollutants from ecological status assessment? • 3 assessments: ecology, priority substances and other pollutants?

18. Ecological classification in the Netherlands Thanks for your attention! also on behalf of Paul Latour Marcel van den Berg