Biodiversity and Eutrophication Assessment

Several EU policies include requirements for the management of aquatic ecosystems under anthropogenic nutrient pressure. However, the biodiversity issue is not directly considered under these policies, although, in the scientific literature evidence can be found of biodiversity loss in aquatic ecosystems in association with increased nutrient levels. The most recent water Directive, the Water Framework Directive, brings together within unifying concepts for ecosystem assessment and management these policies and allows for direct consideration of biodiversity within the assessment of ecosystem eutrophication processes. Five main theses are made forward: Thesis 1: The preservation and restoration of biodiversity requires a cross-sectoral approach at regional and catchment scale Thesis 2: The measurement of biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems presents technical challenges Thesis 3: Increasing biodiversity can reflect ecosystem degradation as well as recovery Thesis 4: Changes in biodiversity may be used to set ecological status boundaries and points of intervention for restoration Thesis 5: More research needed to understand multiple environmental factors affecting multi-group biodiversity.

CARDOSO Ana;  FREE Gary; 

2008-12-05

Helmholtz, UFZ

JRC42525

http://www.ufz.de/data/Proceedings_ERAR_Nov2007UFZ_web7699.pdf,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC42525,