The purpose of the workshop organised by the European Environmental Bureau, in co-operation with the European Commission, the Lithuanian Presidency and the Freshwater Habitats Trust, is to provide a forum to discuss possible ways to prevent further degradation of small water bodies and begin the process of developing best practice guidance for the protection and management of small water bodies in EU Member States. Small water bodies have so far been largely neglected and both the EEA in its 2012 reports on the state of Europe's water and the European Commission in its Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources, presented in 2012, recognise the importance of preventing their continued degradation. They are vital for biodiversity, for the many ecosystem services they provide for society and through their influence on the condition of many larger waters. Their protection and management is thus relevant for the improved implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and other EU legislation, in particular Nature Directives.
The workshop will start with setting the policy, practical and science scene, reviewing also what has been achieved for headwaters and other small waters during the first cycle of River Basin Management Plans, including examples of approaches taken in different Member States. Through detailed discussions during breakout sessions, which will form the second part of the workshop, participants will be addressing possible ways to monitor and protect small waters without excessive cost, integration of water and nature policies, possibilities of using small waters for enhancing ecosystems services and the role of small waters in spreading knowledge of freshwater issues and engaging citizens in their management.
Contact ; Bernadette Serro or Pascale Nicolet