Is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the Water Framework Directive?
Through ratification of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), EU Member States committed themselves to a pressure-based assessment ofthe ecological status of their water bodies. Invasive alien species (IAS) constitute a major pressure in many aquatic ecosystems, yet are notexplicitly accounted for by...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre (REABIC)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Management of Biological Invasions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.reabic.net/journals/mbi/2013/1/MBI_2013_1_Vandekerkhove_etal.pdf |
| _version_ | 1819058084475043840 |
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| author | Jochen Vandekerkhove Ana Cristina Cardoso Philip J. Boon |
| author_facet | Jochen Vandekerkhove Ana Cristina Cardoso Philip J. Boon |
| author_sort | Jochen Vandekerkhove |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Through ratification of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), EU Member States committed themselves to a pressure-based assessment ofthe ecological status of their water bodies. Invasive alien species (IAS) constitute a major pressure in many aquatic ecosystems, yet are notexplicitly accounted for by the majority of WFD assessment methods. Most Member States argue that no explicit assessment of IAS isrequired, assuming that significant IAS pressures will affect the WFD biological quality elements (BQEs), and be detected by generic WFDstatus assessments. We tested this assumption for a selection of country-by-surface-water category combinations, covering nearly 40,000water bodies. For each of the combinations, the pressure by high-impact IAS is higher in water bodies with ecological status varying from bad to moderate than in water bodies in good or high ecological status. Most high-impact IAS show strong associations with low status class categories. Of the 17 most frequently occurring high-impact IAS, only Mustela vison (Schreber, 1777) and Potamopyrgus antipodarum(Gray, 1853) are disproportionately frequent in high status water bodies. The sensitivity of WFD methods varies across BQEs, withmacrophyte-based methods showing a consistently high sensitivity to IAS pressures. However, significant pressures are observed in anumber of high status water bodies. This points to a need for further optimization of existing methods so that they address the full range of pressures exerted by IAS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T13:49:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e1a91bcae3fe462ab8223174ab904610 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1989-8649 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T13:49:35Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre (REABIC) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Management of Biological Invasions |
| spelling | doaj.art-e1a91bcae3fe462ab8223174ab9046102022-12-21T19:01:45ZengRegional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre (REABIC)Management of Biological Invasions1989-86492013-01-01412536http://dx.doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2013.4.1.04Is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the Water Framework Directive?Jochen VandekerkhoveAna Cristina CardosoPhilip J. BoonThrough ratification of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), EU Member States committed themselves to a pressure-based assessment ofthe ecological status of their water bodies. Invasive alien species (IAS) constitute a major pressure in many aquatic ecosystems, yet are notexplicitly accounted for by the majority of WFD assessment methods. Most Member States argue that no explicit assessment of IAS isrequired, assuming that significant IAS pressures will affect the WFD biological quality elements (BQEs), and be detected by generic WFDstatus assessments. We tested this assumption for a selection of country-by-surface-water category combinations, covering nearly 40,000water bodies. For each of the combinations, the pressure by high-impact IAS is higher in water bodies with ecological status varying from bad to moderate than in water bodies in good or high ecological status. Most high-impact IAS show strong associations with low status class categories. Of the 17 most frequently occurring high-impact IAS, only Mustela vison (Schreber, 1777) and Potamopyrgus antipodarum(Gray, 1853) are disproportionately frequent in high status water bodies. The sensitivity of WFD methods varies across BQEs, withmacrophyte-based methods showing a consistently high sensitivity to IAS pressures. However, significant pressures are observed in anumber of high status water bodies. This points to a need for further optimization of existing methods so that they address the full range of pressures exerted by IAS.http://www.reabic.net/journals/mbi/2013/1/MBI_2013_1_Vandekerkhove_etal.pdfecological statusclassificationinvasive alien speciesWater Framework Directivepressure-impact relationshipindicator species |
| spellingShingle | Jochen Vandekerkhove Ana Cristina Cardoso Philip J. Boon Is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the Water Framework Directive? Management of Biological Invasions ecological status classification invasive alien species Water Framework Directive pressure-impact relationship indicator species |
| title | Is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the Water Framework Directive? |
| title_full | Is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the Water Framework Directive? |
| title_fullStr | Is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the Water Framework Directive? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the Water Framework Directive? |
| title_short | Is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the Water Framework Directive? |
| title_sort | is there a need for a more explicit accounting of invasive alien species under the water framework directive |
| topic | ecological status classification invasive alien species Water Framework Directive pressure-impact relationship indicator species |
| url | http://www.reabic.net/journals/mbi/2013/1/MBI_2013_1_Vandekerkhove_etal.pdf |
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