Page 306 - Freshwater-Biology-and-Ecology-Handbook
P. 306
Concluding
Statement
This handbook provides an overview of the biological and ecological methods used to assess the
status of the freshwater environment. Good river health is the key outcome and aim of this work.
Chapters 1 to 6 of the current handbook provide the context, development and core approaches used
and developed by the UK and the EU to improve and protect freshwater quality, much of this aligned to
the delivery of the Water Framework Directive. The principles remain constant and feed forward into
possible reshaped UK approaches in the future.
Chapter 1 provides an overview, including the legal framework for freshwater
biological monitoring.
Chapter 2 is a practitioner’s guide to the standard methods for invertebrate
sampling and data collection.
Chapter 3 provides an understanding of current river invertebrate classification
methodologies, focusing on RIVPACS and surveillance monitoring.
Chapter 4 looks at other sampling methods for investigative monitoring.
Chapter 5 looks at indices and data analyses for investigations, including the
increasing contribution from citizen science programmes.
considers the reporting methods used in the UK and the EU,
Chapter 6 specifically with links to investment programmes, driven by the
monitoring and assessment information. It also provides links to
publicly available data sets.
306 | Freshwater Biology and Ecology Handbook
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