About the Book
This report presents the outcome of the project under The Water Framework Directive in Ireland, Water Status, on the identification and ranking of Nature Conservation Designated Areas. The purpose of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000) is to establish a framework for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater (Box 1.1). A component of this framework is the development of a Register of Protected Areas containing land areas that have been designated as requiring special protection under specific Community legislation for the protection of their surface water and groundwater or for the conservation of habitats and species directly depending on water. For each River Basin District, the Register or Registers of Protected Areas must be kept under review and up to date (Water Framework Directive, Article 6). The complete Register of Protected Areas therefore has a number of components and these are set out in the Directive within Annex IV.
It includes water abstraction sites, designated salmonid and shellfish waters, designated bathing waters and nutrient-sensitive areas (see Appendix 1). This project, entitled "Identification and Ranking of Nature Conservation Designated Areas, where the Status of Water is an Important Factor", sought to assist the establishment of that other part of the Register covering areas designated for the protection of habitats or species where the maintenance or improvement of the status of water is an important factor in their protection. This report talks about project context within EU Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). The Article 6 - Register of Protected Areas, includes: Member States shall ensure the establishment of a register or registers of all areas lying within each River Basin District which have been designated as requiring special protection under specific Community legislation for the protection of their surface water and groundwater or for the conservation of habitats and species directly depending on water.
They shall ensure that the register is completed at the latest four years after the date of entry into force of this Directive; The register or registers shall include...all protected areas covered by Annex IV; for each river basin district, the register or registers of protected areas shall be kept under review and up to date. Annex IV - Protected areas includes: (v) areas designated for the protection of habitats or species where the maintenance or improvement of the status of water is an important factor in their protection, including relevant Natura 2000 sites designated under Directive 92/43/EEC and Directive 79/409/EEC. The project developed a methodology for identifying water-dependent habitats and hence protected areas with such habitats. It recorded these sites in digital form within a combined database and mapping system and recorded the water-dependent habitats and the species that they contain, where such information was available. Additionally, a scheme was designed which can be used to rank (and hence prioritise) habitats (and hence sites) according to their conservation value.
A draft approach towards ranking the sensitivity of habitats to hydrological disturbances and other pressures has also been prepared. The implementation of the Water Framework Directive is initially being assisted via a number of River Basin Management System projects covering River Basin Districts. It is intended that the project's digital register and ranking schemes will be a component tool in the River Basin Management Systems and will assist in the development of the required River Basin Management Plans. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has outlined a list of research priorities to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Ireland. This research area is supported under the Environmental Research Technological Development and Innovation Programme 2000 - 2006. The current project is one of ten such projects supported under the call of 2002.
The main research objectives of the project were: to develop a methodology for identifying water-dependent habitats; to establish a register/database and GIS of these designated areas for which the maintenance or improvement of the status of water is an important factor in their protection; and to develop a ranking scheme for habitats based on conservation value and habitat sensitivity to hydrological disturbances, other pressures and a provisional ranking of the designated areas included in the Water Framework Directive register. This report presents the outcome of the project using the following structure: Chapter 2 presents the proposed methodology for identifying water-dependent habitats (WDHs) and includes definitions of these habitats and also of water-dependent species (WDS). Lists of WDHs and WDS which were compiled based on these definitions are then presented; Chapter 3 describes the proposed approach towards establishing the register of designated areas with WDHs and WDS. The types of protected areas/designations which are included are identified, and issues relating to the inclusion of particular designation types are outlined.
Chapter 4 presents the project's thinking regarding development of ranking schemes for habitats and sites. The proposed method of evaluating the conservation value of a habitat is outlined, while a draft method of evaluating the sensitivity of a habitat to hydrological change is also described. Chapter 5 summarises the features of the GIS-based tool for viewing and interrogation of the Register of Protected Areas (WDHs) sites, including an overview of attributes held on each site and the tools for calculation of site ranking. Chapter 6 summarises the results of the project and presents a number of recommendations for further development of the water-dependent sites and information management tools. Please note that since completion of this report further consideration has been given to the components of the overall Register of Protected Areas. Further details are available directly from the EPA.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements, ii; Disclaimer, ii; Details of Project Partners, iii; 1 Introduction, 1; 2 Developing a Methodology for Identifying Water-Dependent Habitats and Species, 3; 2.1 Introduction, 3; 2.2 Definitions of Water-Dependent Habitats and Species, 3; 2.3 Lists of Water-Dependent Habitats and Water-Dependent Species, 4; 2.4 Summary, 5; 3 Establishing the Register, 7; 3.1 Introduction, 7; 3.2 Protected Area Designations for Inclusion, 7; 3.3 Data Sources, 9; 3.4 Compilation of the Register, 12; 4 Developing the Ranking Scheme, 18; 4.1 Background, 18; 4.2 Conservation Value, 18; 4.3 Habitat Sensitivity to Hydrological Disturbance, 19; 4.4 Ranking Scheme, 24; 5 Water-Dependent Sites - GIS and Database System, 26; 5.1 Introduction, 26; 5.2 Overview of System Components, 26; 5.3 Summary of Custom GIS Functions, 26. 5.4 Technical Notes, 27; 5.5 Hardware Configuration, 27; 5.6 Summary, 27; 6 Deliverables, Conclusions and Recommendations, 28; 6.1 Deliverables, 28; 6.2 Conclusions and Recommendations, 28; References, 30; Appendix 1 Components of the Register of Protected Areas, 31; Appendix 2 Existing Definitions of Wetlands, 32; Appendix 3 List of Water-Dependent Habitats in Ireland, 33; Appendix 4 List of Water-Dependent Fauna Species (excluding birds) in Ireland, 37; Appendix 5 List of Water-Dependent Bird Species In Ireland, 38; Appendix 6 List of Water-Dependent Flora Species In Ireland, 41; Appendix 7 Conservation Value - Alternative Scheme, 43; Appendix 8 Ellenberg F and N Values, 44; Appendix 9 Newbold Water Level Requirement Values, 46; Appendix 10 Pollardstown Fen Example - Full Table, 48.
