Laure Ledoux

Implementing EU biodiversity policy: UK experiences

This paper offers a critical review of the European Union Habitats Directive, which requires Member States to designate and protect a network of habitats of European importance. In the UK, several problems linked to implementation have already appeared at the local level. These are illustrated through two case studies where an often restrictive and static interpretation of the legal requirements of the Directive has led to management conflicts. It is suggested that the use of participatory approaches and instruments adapted to no-net-loss policies such as mitigation banking, while not entirely unproblematic, could ease some of the practical problems of implementing the Directive.

The Humber catchment and its coastal area: from UK to European perspectives

The present water quality of the Humber rivers and coastal zone depends on a complex interplay of factors, including physical ones, such as the underlying geology, which influences soil type, climatic ones, such as the rainfall, which influences runoff, socio-economic ones, which influence present-day human activities in the catchment, and the legacy of former activities, such as contaminated sediments from mining. All of these factors affect the fluxes of nutrients and other contaminants to the rivers and coastal zone. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the production of a river basin management plan intended to lead to the achievement of good chemical and ecological status for all water bodies in the catchment over the next two decades. This paper provides an overview of the current environmental and socio-economic state of the Humber catchment and coastal zone, and broadly examines how socio-economic drivers affect the fluxes of nutrients and contaminants to the coastal zone, using the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) approach. This is followed by an overview of future research, describing the use of scenarios to simulate future fluxes and provide a consistent framework to evaluate potential policies to improve water quality in the estuary. The Humber catchment is one of eight case studies within a European research project, EUROCAT (EVK1-CT-2000-00044), which aims to achieve integrated catchment and coastal zone management by analysing the response of the coastal sea to changes in fluxes of nutrients and contaminants from the catchments. For the Humber case study, the research focuses on the fluxes of two nutrient elements, N and P, and four metal contaminants, As, Cu, Pb and Zn. The project requires the integration of scientific and socio-economic approaches, bringing together quantitative environmental data garnered for individual river catchments and coastal zones in previous research programmes, and local and regional socio-economic data, to aid decision-makers in their search for integrated and sustainable coastal zone management strategies.

Group report: Integrated assessment and future scenarios for the coast

A prototype scenario assessment was carried out with help of a DP-S-I-R framework to provide an outline forward look at the European coastal areas. Impacts of change were assessed for the following major sectoral or cross-sectoral drivers: climate change, agriculture/forestry, urbanisation, tourism, industry and trade, fishery and shellfish fishery, and energy. The present situation was tabulated prior to an outline of the impacts of three scenarios, i.e. (1) a world market perspective, (2) global sustainability and (3) environmental stewardship. From twelve identified impact categories, three were judged to be of particular significance in the present situation: habitat loss (including coastal squeeze); changes in biodiversity; and the loss of fisheries productivity. A group of three impacts – eutrophicationrelated effects, contamination-related effects and coastal erosion – were all judged to be of moderate importance in most areas. All others were allocated only local importance. The analysis suggests that the major current drivers will still play the dominant role, augmented by climate change. Drivers and impacts intensities usually increase under the perspective of a more globalised world (scenario 1) and usually decrease through better management, mitigation and adaptation measures of scenarios 2 and 3. Under scenario 1, the eastern countries (Black Sea and Baltic Sea areas) are particularly prone to eutrophication and contamination impacts, as well as habitat and biodiversity loss, due to expansion of mass tourism eastwards, together with intensification of agriculture and aquaculture. Under scenario 2 more stringent regulations and management reduce environmental impacts. Under scenario 3 impacts are reduced through decentralisation, although this may also result in sub-optimal management (local fragmentation).

Integrated assessment for catchment and coastal zone management: The case of the Humber

In the context of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), EU Member States are required to introduce water quality objectives for all water bodies, including coastal waters. Given the impact of catchment fluxes on coastal water quality, decision-making at the catchment scale is essential. This chapter investigates the use of integrated assessment as an overall decision-support process and toolbox in the Humber estuary.

Group report: Global change and the European coast - climate change and economic development

The effects of climate change on economic development in the coastal zone cannot be ignored in future coastal zone management plans. This chapter reports the outcome of the group discussion centred round the three questions posed by Nicholls and Klein on how the coastal zone can be effectively managed in the future. The first question asked how we can marry together the human and natural values of a system in the upcoming decades. The results of the discussion highlighted the utility of using scenarios to obtain good management plans that take into account the three provisions of human safety, economic development and ecological integrity while still achieving a situation of sustainable development. The second question addressed the tools required to achieve these management goals and discusses the role of public participation and media communication. The third question asked what proactive strategies can be used to effectively manage the coastal zone in the 21st Century and an example of the Humber estuary management plan is given. It is proposed that a robust and flexible integrated coastal zone management plan is the only effective way to manage the coastal zone in a sustainable manner in the uncertain face of climate change.