Impact case study database

Impact 1. Cross-national implementation of Water Framework Directive assessment

The vision of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) has been widely praised but its implementation has proved hugely challenging. Our activities have been crucial in securing this implementation.

We have underpinned the intercalibration of WFD methods: as the EU state, ‘ The intercalibration process is a critical step in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) as it ensures harmonised boundaries of aquatic ecological assessment systems between EU Member States’ (see evidence S3). It reduces bias and promotes equality of ambition in protecting or restoring water resources. Without intercalibration countries would simply continue to manage their water resources on an ad hoc and unilateral basis, even in international river basins where problems are shared across countries, thereby defeating the unifying purpose of the WFD ( R2).

However, intercalibration is complex because national classification methods that were developed independently must be compared across multiple countries in each ecoregion of the EU, for each of the multiple water body types (e.g. large rivers, deep lakes) and biological quality elements (fish, invertebrates, macrophytes, diatoms, and phytoplankton), and in both freshwaters and coastal/transitional waters, giving rise to almost 1000 permutations (S2: Annex I) ( R2).

Willby co-designed (with Sebastian Birk, University of Duisburg-Essen) the protocols for harmonising all national methods for classifying ecological status, as well as quality controlling newly developed classification methods. The approaches and associated guidance and training we developed and refined for the EU ( S1) were pivotal in securing approval of the outputs from the 14-year WFD intercalibration programme. The official European Commission Decision 2018/229 ( S2), explicitly acknowledges the approaches we designed and their role in delivering a successful outcome to the intercalibration process (also testified by S3). Because of this process hundreds of previously disparate national classification systems have been harmonised, allowing accurate water body classification and aiding delivery of WFD objectives. The importance of these contributions is reflected in a testimonial from the EU ( S3) which describes the work of Willby as having ‘ played a crucial part in the implementation of the WFD across Europe’.

The EU state that a ‘ major achievement of WFD implementation has been the establishment of a common view of ecological status through the intercalibration (IC) exercise (Birk et al., 2013 [ R2] *)*’ ( S5, p.10). Our approach to developing environmental standards for nutrients to support good ecological status in Europe’s lakes and rivers, co-designed with staff from the EU Joint Research Centre ( R3, S4), was incorporated into EU policy on best practice in setting national regulatory targets for major nutrients with defined uncertainties ( S5, S3). For the first time these targets include nitrogen alongside phosphorus. This is of critical relevance to agricultural practice, farming being a major source of nitrate pollution, and provides the much-needed baseline for management plans to target when restoring nutrient-enriched water bodies and in gauging progress ( R3).

Impact 2. Restoration and management

Initiatives led by the Stirling Freshwater Science group have contributed measurably to the protection and enhancement of aquatic systems in the UK, and the biodiversity and ecosystem services they deliver.

The evidence-based review of lake restoration practices for the Broads Authority, led by Willby and based on 30 years of monitoring data ( R5) has shaped their future strategy for lake restoration (Lake Restoration Action Plan 2016/17 – 2021/22), and site-level decision making ( S6). The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads are a major freshwater biodiversity hotspot, supporting a quarter of Britain’s rarest species. They are also among the highest profile water bodies in Britain, with annual visitor numbers of 7,600,000. This Action Plan is designed to help the Broads meet ‘good ecological status’ under the WFD, consistent with the definition underpinned by our research ( R1). Within the Broads the GBP4,500,000 restoration of Hoveton Great Broad is one of the largest and most ambitious freshwater restoration projects undertaken in the UK to date. Our evidence-based review was described by Natural England, who lead this project, as a ‘ key source of guidance and inspiration in planning the Hoveton Great Broad restoration’ ( S7).

Bull designed a tool ( R6) for the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency allowing rapid assessment of the severity of river barriers to fish migration ( S8, S9). The tool is now an integral part of the process of selection, prioritisation, and restoration of river continuity in the UK, enabling barrier removal to restore salmonid fisheries as required under the WFD. SEPA noted that the contributions of Dr Bull ‘ have played a significant part in helping …meet these priorities’ ( S9) and over 3,000km of rivers now have improved upstream access for Atlantic salmon and other migratory fish as a result of the removal of barriers identified via this tool. Following further development of the tool by Bull, in 2015 it was formally adopted by the UK Technical Advisory Group responsible for WFD implementation ( S9, S10) and we trained more than 100 experts in its use. Aside from the environmental benefits of this work, the contribution of wild salmon to Scotland’s economy (angling estimated gross added value of GBP29,000,000 per annum: http://stir.ac.uk/4bo) means that mitigation measures such as this are vital for the future of wild salmon and its associated industry in Scotland.