GUIDANCE ON TYPOLOGY, REFERENCE CONDITIONS AND

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CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR TRANSITIONAL AND COASTAL

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WATERS

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Helsinki Commission

2005

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION - A GUIDANCE DOCUMENT: WHAT FOR? 10

TO WHOM IS THIS GUIDANCE DOCUMENT ADDRESSED? . 10

WHAT CAN YOU FIND IN THIS GUIDANCE DOCUMENT? . 11

SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION – IMPLEMENTING THE DIRECTIVE 13

1.1. DECEMBER 2000: A MILESTONE FOR WATER POLICY . 13

1.2. THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE: NEW CHALLENGES IN EU WATER POLICY . 13

1.3. WHAT ARE THE KEY ACTIONS THAT MEMBER STATES NEED TO TAKE? . 14

1.4. CHANGING THE MANAGEMENT PROCESS – INFORMATION, CONSULTATION AND

PARTICIPATION. 16

1.5. INTEGRATION: A KEY CONCEPT UNDERLYING THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE 16

1.6. WHAT IS BEING DONE TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION? 17

1.7. THE COAST WORKING GROUP (CIS WG 2.4) . 18

SECTION 2 – THE COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF TERMS RELATED TO TRANSITIONAL AND

COASTAL WATERS. 21

2.1. DEFINITIONS OF TRANSITIONAL AND COASTAL WATERS 21

2.2. DEFINING SURFACE WATER BODIES WITHIN TRANSITIONAL AND COASTAL WATERS

22

2.3. DEFINING TRANSITIONAL WATERS . 27

2.4. ASSIGNING COASTAL WATERS WITHIN THE RIVER BASIN DISTRICT 32

2.5. TERRITORIAL WATERS 33

2.6. MARINE LAGOONS . 34

2.7. WETLANDS . 34

SECTION 3 – GUIDANCE FOR TYPOLOGY IN TRANSITIONAL AND COASTAL WATERS 36

3.1. INTRODUCTION TO TYPOLOGY. 36

3.2. THE PROCESS OF TYPING 37

3.3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYPOLOGY GUIDANCE . 38

3.4. COMMON FRAMEWORK FOR THE USE OF FACTORS FOR SYSTEM B 40

3.5. HOW COULD THE FACTORS BE USED?. 42

SECTION 4 – GUIDANCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL REFERENCE CONDITIONS

FOR COASTAL AND TRANSITIONAL WATERS. 45

4.1. INTRODUCTION. 45

4.2. REFERENCE CONDITIONS AND THE RANGE OF NATURAL VARIATION 46

4.3. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REFERENCE CONDITIONS, HIGH STATUS AND THE

ECOLOGICAL QUALITY RATIO 48

4.4. BIOLOGICAL QUALITY ELEMENTS REQUIRING REFERENCE CONDITIONS. 49

4.5. METHODS FOR DETERMINING REFERENCE CONDITIONS 50

4.6. THE SELECTION OF A REFERENCE NETWORK OF HIGH STATUS SITES 52

4.7. EXCLUSION OF QUALITY ELEMENTS WITH HIGH NATURAL VARIABILITY 53

4.8. REFERENCE CONDITIONS AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS. 54

4.9. UPDATING REFERENCE CONDITIONS. 55

4.10. REFERENCE CONDITIONS / HIGH STATUS STUDIES 55

SECTION 5 – GENERAL GUIDANCE ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF ECOLOGICAL STATUS

WITHIN TRANSITIONAL AND COASTAL WATERS. 57

5.1. INTRODUCTION TO CLASSIFICATION 57

5.2. ECOLOGICAL STATUS CLASSES AND THE ECOLOGICAL QUALITY RATIO 60

5.3. BASIC PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING CLASSIFICATION. 64

5.4. QUALITY ASSURANCE AND EXPERT JUDGMENT 65

5.5. CLASSIFICATION OF THE BIOLOGICAL QUALITY ELEMENTS 67

5.6. CLASSIFICATION OF THE HYDROMORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL

SUPPORTING ELEMENTS 71

5.7. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHEMICAL AND ECOLOGICAL STATUS. 75

SECTION 6 - TOOLBOX. 77

6.1. INTRODUCTION. 77

6.2. PHYTOPLANKTON. 77

6.3. OTHER AQUATIC FLORA 80

6.4. BENTHIC INVERTEBRATE FAUNA 85

6.5. FISH 89

6.6. CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES FOR BIOLOGICAL QUALITY ELEMENTS. 94

6.7. SUPPORTING ELEMENTS (HYDROMORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL) 100

SECTION 7 – SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 101

7.1. TYPOLOGY . 101

7.2. REFERENCE CONDITIONS . 101

7.3. CLASSIFICATION. 102

7.4. THE PROMOTION OF COMMUNICATION. 102

REFERENCES 104

ANNEX A – KEY ACTIVITIES AND THE WORKING GROUPS OF THE

COMMON IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY 107

ANNEX B – MEMBERS OF THE COAST WORKING GROUP. 109

ANNEX C – LIST OF REFERENCE CONDITIONS STUDIES . 115

ANNEX D - GLOSSARY . 116