INDEX

CONSULTATIONS      

UK NEWS        

INTERNATIONAL NEWS     

PROJECTS

PUBLICATIONS       

Events

 

ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

 

CONSULTATIONS  

Policy Options for the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's waters

European Commission Consultation

(Posted 22 March 2012)

This year, the European Commission will present a Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources. This document will assess the implementation and achievements of EU water policy as well as identify gaps and shortcomings. On the basis of this analysis, the Blueprint will identify actions to strengthen water policy and to address ongoing vulnerability of the water environment.

The European Commission is asking the public for its views on the most appropriate actions to improve water management in Europe and to safeguard our water resources for all users (consumers, agriculture, industry and nature itself).

The period of consultation is from 15 March 2012 to 07 June 2012

The background consultation document, the questionnaire and other relevant documents are available for download at the European Commission website:

(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/blueprint_en.htm)
   

Draft water resources planning guideline

Environment Agency Consultation

(Posted 22 March 2012)

Water companies are required by law to prepare and revise their 25-year water resources management plans every five years. Since the last round of plans were completed, the Agency have worked with the English and Welsh Governments, Ofwat and the water industry to review and improve the guideline that companies must follow in preparing their plans. Companies will be required to follow the guideline when producing their new plans in 2014. The Agency is consulting on the following sections of the guideline:

Part 2 - The guiding principles for developing a water resources management
Part 3 - Water resources management plans technical guidance
Part 4 - Water resources management plans tables   

The consultation closes on the 10 April 2012.

For more details and information how to respond visit the Agency website:

(https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/waterres/draft/plans)

 

on a dedicated legislative instrument on invasive alien species

European Commission Consultation

(Posted 22 March 2012)

In 2011, the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 was launched, including the target: "by 2020, Invasive Alien Species (IAS) and their pathways are identified and prioritised, priority species are controlled or eradicated, and pathways are managed to prevent the introduction and establishment of new IAS" and an action aiming at filling policy gaps in combating IAS by developing a dedicated legislative instrument by 2012 (COM(2011) 244). The Commission is preparing a dedicated legislative instrument on Invasive Alien Species. In preparation of this instrument the Commission is now seeking views on the more specific choices to be made when establishing this instrument.

Period of consultation is from 27 January 2012 to 12 April 2012.

For further information and to respond visit the Europa website:

(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/invasive_aliens.htm)

 

The Water Act 2003: withdrawal of compensation on the grounds of Serious Damage

Defra Consultation

(Posted 16 February 2012)

The Water Act 2003, which introduced a number of changes to further the compliance with the Water Framework Directive, contained a power (section 27) to remove the right to compensation in certain circumstances. Under this provision, where a licence, that is not a time limited licence, is varied or revoked on, or after, 15 July 2012, no compensation will be payable where the Secretary of State is satisfied that the grounds for varying or revoking the licence is to protect the environment from serious damage. The impact of an abstraction on the environment depends on a number of factors, including for example the type/rarity of habitat or species affected, the scale and longevity/reversibility of the impacts and how these factors combine in specific cases.  The approach presented in the consultation identifies the key principles against which to assess whether the damage is serious for the purposes of section 27.

The consultation runs from 9 February 2012 to 3 May 2012.

For more details and information how to respond visit the Defra website:

(http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/2012/02/09/water-act-1202/)

 

UK NEWS        

wfd uktag NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED

(Posted 22 March 2012)

UK TAG is a partnership of the UK environment and conservation agencies, which was set up by the UK Administrations. It was created to provide coordinated advice on the science and technical aspects of the European Union's Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). The online resources for UK TAG have now been built into a new website. This site aims to provide an enhanced and clearer facility and to be able to direct users more efficiently to where they want to be. The UK TAG has taken stakeholders comments on-board to produce a simpler easy to navigate interface. The Resources section holds all the UK TAG guidance and technical reports, which includes work needed to meet the aims of the Directive and is split into the following categories:

  • Environmental standards
  • Assessing the status of the water environment
  • Characterisation of the water environment
  • Setting objectives for the water environment
  • River basin planning

The stakeholder section is still in development and hopefully will be up and running soon. This section will also house the UKTAG and JAGDAG work areas and will provides the minutes of past meetings and list the work programmes for each year.

The new website address is the same as before:

(http://www.wfduk.org/)

 

SEPA Outlines Progress in New Report

(Posted 22 March 2012)

On 19 March 2012, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) released a new report, ‘Progress on delivering better environmental regulation’. The report highlights the work SEPA has carried out with its partners and demonstrates how the agency has been adapting and improving as an organisation.  The progress shown by the report underlines the joint efforts of SEPA and the Scottish Government to create a framework, which supports a more streamlined approach to environmental regulation.

For further information and to download the report visit the SEPA website:

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/about_us/news/2012/sepa_outlines_progress_in_new.aspx)

 

Environment Agency asks farmers and water companies to act now in response to drought

(Posted 22 March 2012)

On 12 March 2012 Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman and Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency launched the Environment Agency’s Drought Prospects report.  The report warns that the drought could spread as far north as East Yorkshire and as far west as the Hampshire – Wiltshire border, if the dry weather continues this spring. The whole of the southeast and East Anglia are already in drought.

Recommendations in the report include:

  • Water companies should demonstrate that they have increased leakage detection arrangements in place and publicly show they have reduced leaks from their network.
  • Water companies should follow their drought plans and encourage their customers to use water wisely now, which will put them in a better position for the summer.
  • All abstractors, including water companies and farmers should consider the options for sharing water with neighbouring companies, such as setting up a water abstractor group.

Full text of the press release is available on the EA website:

(http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/137909.aspx)

The Drought Prospects report and other information on current drought situation are available at the EA website:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/drought/31749.aspx

 

Twelve new havens for wildlife announced

(Posted 22 March 2012)

New nature zones covering hundreds of thousands of hectares are to be set up across England, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman revealed on 27 February 2012. The 12 Nature Improvement Areas (NIA) announced will each get a share of £7.5 million to create wildlife havens, restore habitats and encourage local people to get involved with nature. Local groups have worked together on proposals for how they intend to use the money to improve their local nature sites for the enjoyment of the public and the benefit of wildlife.  The 12 successful NIAs have been chosen from among 76 groups who competed to receive funding for their project.

Full text of the press release, including a list of the 12 new NIAs are available on the Defra website:

(http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2012/02/27/nature_improvement_area/)

More information on NIAs are available on the Natural England website:

(http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/biodiversity/funding/nia/default.aspx)

 

NATURAL FLOOD MANAGEMENT POSITION STATEMENT

The role of SEPA in natural flood management

(Posted 22 March 2012)

Under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency), has responsibilities for natural flood management.  SEPA has produced a statement, which sets out the actions that they will take, in partnership with others, during the period 2011 to 2015, to translate these policy requirements into practice.

Working with nature is part of a more sustainable approach to managing flood risk that can be used as an alternative or alongside traditional defence constructions.  Working with nature to reduce the risk of flooding is referred to as natural flood management (NFM). 

For further information visit the SEPA website:

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/flood_risk_management/working_with_nature.aspx)

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS     

Launch of the 4th edition of the World Water Development Report (WWDR4)

Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk

(Posted 22 March 2012)

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The United Nations World Water Development Report is a UN Water flagship report produced by the United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), a programme of UN Water hosted by UNESCO. WWAP announced that on 12 March 2012, on the first day of the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, the UNESCO Director General, Irina Bokova, launched the widely anticipated 4th edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR4).

This flagship report is a comprehensive review that gives an overall picture of the state of the world's freshwater resources. It analyses pressures from decisions that drive demand for water and affect its availability. It offers tools and response options to help leaders in government, the private sector and civil society address current and future challenges. It suggests ways in which institutions can be reformed. The 4th edition directly reports from the regions, highlighting hotspots, and has been mainstreamed for gender equality, which is addressed as a critical issue. The report is presented in three volumes:

Volume 1: Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk
Volume 2: Knowledge Base
Volume 3: Facing the Challenges

For further information and to download the report visit the WWAP website:

(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/water/wwap/)

 

National Public Consultation Procedures on the Marine Directive

(Posted 22 March 2012)

Article 19 of the Marine Directive requires that each Member State organise a public consultation procedure related to the implementation of this Directive. Member States have to ensure that all interested parties are given early and effective opportunities to participate, involving where possible, existing management bodies or structures. In 2012, the Member States will carry out:

  • An initial assessment of the current environmental status of their national marine waters
  • A determination of what Good Environmental Status mean for their marine waters
  • The establishment of environmental targets and associated indicators to achieve GES by 2020

According to the DG Environment website the public consultation process in the UK will take place in the Spring 2012:

(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/public-consultation/index_en.htm)

 

NEW European Riverprize

(Posted 22 March 2012)

The International RiverFoundation (IRF) has recently formed a partnership to deliver a European Riverprize for the first time in 2013. The European Riverprize will celebrate successful approaches that have overcome the challenges to river restoration, ecosystem health, water quality and climate change within the social and political context of the European continent. Judged by a panel of European experts and administered from the IRF Europe office in Vienna, the first European Riverprize will be awarded in 2013 - International Year for Water Cooperation. Participation is open to all organisations. The European winner will qualify as an automatic finalist in the Thiess International Riverprize the following year.

For further information visit the IRF website:

(http://www.riverfoundation.org.au/riverprize_about.php)

 

PROJECTS        

Catchment Sensitive Farming Capital Grant Scheme

(Posted 22 March 2012)

The 2012/13 Capital Grants Scheme has been launched on 1 March 2012. There will be a two-month application window, the deadline for applications being 30 April 2012. This is a scheme aimed at reducing diffuse water pollution from agriculture and is targeted at particular areas across England. It is a competitive, annual scheme, so farmers who are successful in their applications need to get the work done and their claims submitted to Natural England by 28 February 2013 and claims will be processed by 31 March 2013 and paid within two months. It is expected that the funding mechanism will allow £21 million in capital grants to be awarded this year with an expected further £15 million for 2013/14.

For further details visit the Natural England website:

(http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/csf/cgs/default.aspx)

 

PUBLICATIONS       

Environmental Outlook to 2050: The Consequences of Inaction

(Posted 22 March 2012)

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The OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 asks, “What will the next four decades bring?” Based on joint modelling by the OECD and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), it looks forward to the year 2050 to find out what demographic and economic trends might mean for the environment if the world does not adopt more ambitious green policies. It also looks at what policies could change that picture for the better. This Outlook focuses on four areas: climate change, biodiversity, freshwater and health impacts of pollution. These four key environmental challenges were identified by the previous Environmental Outlook to 2030 (OECD, 2008) as “Red Light” issues requiring urgent attention. Based on model projections, this edition of the Environmental Outlook paints a possible picture of what the environment might look like in 2050.

The document, press releases and other relevant information are available to download at the OECD website:

(http://www.oecd.org/document/11/0,3746,en_2649_37465_49036555_1_1_1_37465,00.html)

 

New Handbook for Integrated Water Resources Management in the Basins of Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Aquifers

(Posted 22 March 2012)

This publication was launched on 15 March 2012 at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille by the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), the Global Water Partnership (GWP), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the French Development Agency (AFD) who worked together to produce it. This book, which took nearly a year of work and involved many professionals, aims to provide practical advice to improve water resources management in transboundary basins, using more than 60 examples of actions already successfully initiated in various basins. The book complements the first edition about Integrated Basin Water Management, published in March 2009 during the 5th World Water Forum,

To view the full text of the press release and to download the publication visit the INBO website:

(http://www.inbo-news.org/inbo/information/handbook-for-integrated-water-resources-2021)

 

GEF Publishes Report on Water and Global Security

(Posted 22 March 2012)

Coinciding with the 6th World Water Forum, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has published a report highlighting some of the key results from two decades of support for countries collaborating in the management of transboundary freshwater basins and aquifers.

The report, ‘Contributing to Global Security’, features case studies showing how GEF support for innovative approaches has enabled participating countries to cooperate across different sectors and national borders to balance the competing uses of water resources. The report explores linkages in GEF-supported projects between water, food, energy and health security and describes GEF efforts in support of climate change adaptation in developing countries. In addition to the environmental and economic benefits, programs of this kind can play a critical role in fostering regional stability and security and conflict prevention.

For further information and to download the report visit the GEF website:

(http://www.thegef.org/gef/content/gef-publishes-report-water-and-global-security)

 

Towards efficient use of water resources in Europe

EEA Report No 1/2012

Published by EEA (European Environment Agency), 13 March 2012,
ISBN  978-92-9213-275-0

(Posted 22 March 2012)

This report makes the case for an integrated water management, starting with better implementation of existing legislation. Clean water is a vitally important natural resource, demanding careful management. It is essential for life and integral to virtually all economic activities, including producing food, energy and industrial outputs. The availability of clean water in sufficient quantities is not only a prerequisite for human health and well being but also essential for freshwater ecosystems and the many services that they provide.

The report is available for download at the EEA website:

(http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/towards-efficient-use-of-water)

 

Setting the Baseline for Measuring the Baltic Marine Environment

‘Development of a set of core indicators: Interim report of the HELCOM CORESET project’

(Posted 22 March 2012)

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) published a report describing how to assess the state of the Baltic Sea most coherently. The HELCOM core indicators for biodiversity, hazardous substances and eutrophication will form a concentrated set of indicators which will be monitored by all the Baltic Sea countries and address the key elements of the environment and main pressures on it. HELCOM will use the core indicators to follow up the effectiveness of the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (2007–2021). In the Action Plan, several management measures have been agreed for a healthier marine environment. As the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires also environmental assessments of European marine regions, the EU Member States in the Baltic Sea region can use the HELCOM set of core indicators for a coordinated assessment of the state of the marine environment.

The interim report, published in two parts (Part A describing the indicator selection and development process and Part B giving more technical documentation of the indicators) is available to download at the HELCOM website:

(http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/2012/en_GB/CORESET_Interim/)

 

HELCOM 2012 - Checklist of Baltic Sea Macro-species

Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No. 130

Helsinki Commission, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, 203 pages, 2012

(Posted 22 March 2012)

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For the first time ever, all Baltic Sea animal and plant species visible to the human eye have been collected in a Checklist. This checklist, compiled by HELCOM’s RED LIST project, presents a thorough and detailed overview on which macro-species occur in the Baltic Sea today and where. All the species that have been found within the last 200 years are also included. In order to ensure that all available information on species occurring in the Baltic Sea has been included into the checklist, there is a period for public stakeholder review (1 March -1 April 2012) during which the wider scientific community can supply comments and suggestions to the Project Coordinator (jannica.haldin@helcom.fi). After this the list will continue functioning as a living document but will be updated every three years.

For further information visit the HELCOM website:

(http://www.helcom.fi/home/en_GB/welcome/)

 

The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020

Published by the European Union, 2011, 28 pages, ISBN 978-92-79-20762-4

(Posted 22 March 2012)

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On 3 May 2011, the European Commission adopted a new strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity and improve the state of Europe’s species, habitats, ecosystems and the services they provide over the next decade, while stepping up the EU’s contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. It focuses on six major targets to address the main pressures on nature and ecosystem services in the EU and beyond, and lays down the policy foundations for EU-level action over the next ten years. The six targets covered by the EU strategy focus on:
  1. The full implementation of the EU nature legislation;
  2. Better protection and restoration of ecosystems and the services they provide, and greater use of green infrastructure;
  3. More sustainable agriculture and forestry;
  4. Better management of EU fish stocks and more sustainable fisheries;
  5. Tighter controls on Invasive Alien Species; and
  6. A greater EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss.

The document is available for download at the Europa website:

(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/biodiversity_en.htm)

 

Revised Brown Booklet published online by SEPA

(Posted 22 March 2012)

The revised and updated version of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) guidance, ‘Water Pollution Arising from Land Containing Chemical Contaminants’, provides information on how SEPA assesses whether significant pollution of the water environment is occurring, or is likely to occur, at a site with land contamination. It replaces the previous version, which was printed in booklet form in 2001 and is now out of date. The updated version of the guidance, commonly known as the Brown Booklet, reflects SEPA's current approach, based on working with both the Part IIA (Contaminated Land) and planning regimes over the last 11 years. It also takes account of the evolution of interacting European Commission and domestic legislation. The booklet is available online only.

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/land/land_publications.aspx)

 

Events

 

2nd Workshop on Water Management, Water Framework Directive and Hydropower

13-14 September 2011, Brussels

(Posted 22 March 2012)

The workshop was organised jointly by Germany, UK and the European Commission. The key aim of the workshop as information exchange on the following:

1. Options and tools of European States in order to implement measures for the improvement and achievement of Good Ecological Status (GES) or Good Ecological Potential (GEP):

    a. Legal tools and legal requirements
    b. Technical standards and requirements
    c. Incentives

2. Strategic planning tools on the catchment scale for the designation of “appropriate”, “less appropriate” and “not appropriate” areas for new hydropower plants.

3. Approaches for the implementation of WFD Article 4.7.

The final Issue Paper (incl. Workshop Conclusions & Recommendations) as well as the presentations are available at the Ecologic website:

(http://www.ecologic-events.eu/hydropower2/background.htm)