Ecological assessment in the environment agencies past, present and future. FBA Annual Conference 2016 Roger Owen Head of Ecology, SEPA

Transcription

1 Ecological assessment in the environment agencies past, present and future FBA Annual Conference 2016 Roger Owen Head of Ecology, SEPA 1

2 Outline Biological assessment 40 years ago An ecological assessment revolution - the Water Framework Directive Changing drivers in SEPA Future for ecological assessment in regulatory agencies 2

3 Ecological assessment 40 years ago 3 Early microscope

4 Setting up the lab in Aberdeen 4 Early microbiologists

5 5 Health and Safety as we used to know it

6 Pressures 70 s and 80 s Point source pollution (example: River Don, Aberdeen) 6

7 Ecological Classification in Scotland Before WFD Water quality assessment = BOD 5 SRP NH 4 -N ph + metals Only rivers; lochs chemical class Limited impact/response to pressures Lack of a good ecological benchmark So post-wfd?... Chandler Biotic Score 7

8 The WFD Revolution for Ecological Assessment Reference Sites Group No Deterioration ECOLOGICAL STATUS HIGH Reference X GOOD MODERATE Ecological classification 8 POOR BAD Ecological Quality Ratios

9 Biological Quality Elements UK R&D Methods Rivers and Lakes Pressures Macrophytes LEAFPACS Eutrophication Hydrological Cost: 2M euro for UK Phytobenthos Benthic invertebrates DARLEQ RICT + AWICS (rivers) CPET + Littoral (lakes) Eutrophication Organic/toxic Acidification (Hydrological) FCS2 (rivers) Morphological Hydrological Blooms/taxonomic composition (lakes) Eutrophication 9 9

10 1.10 Harmonised Good Ecological Status for River Benthic Invertebrate Methods: 17 countries EQR_ICMi GM Common Scale CBGIG Macro-invertebrates Agreed level of uncertainty band 10 benchmark AT BE-W DE ES FR UK IT LU MS contributing to harmonisation band IE LT NL PL SE BE-F CZ DK EE 12 MS not contributing to harmonisation band

11 WFD compliant BQE Assessment Methods Good pressure-response relationship Related to reference benchmark (at EU level) All use Environmental Quality Ratios (deviation from reference) 5 class boundaries All intercalibrated with other EU member states 11

12 Overall Classification of Rivers in Scotland Classified Water Bodies Rivers: 2405 Lakes: 334 Data/Maps: Scotland s Environment Web: 12

13 UK Technical Advisory Group All WFD methods 13

14 Achievement of water body objectives by RBMP cycle Scotland. Objectives High Good Moderate Poor Bad Total % good or better

15 The Rise of the Hydromorphologist! Control over engineering and abstraction New regulatory standards for flow and morphological modification Standards drive restoration measures 15

16 Morphological Classification MImAS: Morphological Impact Assessment System 16

17 Further Work in Progress Lake Fish Method Environmental Flow Standards and Ecological Indicators Nutrient standards across the EU Hydromorphological methods in the EU 17

18 Drivers for Evidence in SEPA up to 2015 State of Environment Reporting Understanding Pressures and Impacts Regulating for Compliance Auditing Wider Effectiveness of Compliance Measures 18

19 Organisational Drivers in SEPA Enabling Social, Economic & Environmental Success 19 Human Health & Wellbeing Sustainable Economic Growth Healthy, Functioning Ecosystems Evidence for decision making Innovation by business and communities Partnerships for delivery Restoring the environment Providing tools & advice for businesses Engaging citizens

20 Future Intelligence & Evidence Gathering in SEPA Decreasing cost Increasing precision 20

21 RATS Rapid Assessment 6 Techniques 5 Time Taken to Process 1000 samples FTE La RA 0 Lab RAT River Invertebrates 21

22 RAPPER Rapid Assessment of PeriPhyton Ecology in Rivers Benthotorch 22

23 Genomic methods Detecting gene markers of specific taxa Microbial Source Tracking What are we working on? Human Ruminant 20 0 Ayr South BW Cruden Bay Heads of Ayr BW Irvine BW Saltcoats BW 23

24 Environmental DNA solution to the Lakes Fish Method? Proportion of sites present Lake Windermere (65 samples) 12S freq cytb freq Previously (ever) recorded species (16) Marker 12S: 14 (88%) Marker Cytb: 12 (75%) Gill netting survey 2014: 4 (25%) 24

25 SEPA and Citizen Science Engage the public to increase knowledge of the environment Change attitudes to the environment Encourage monitoring and data collection Empowering communities to take action themselves 25

26 Anglers Monitoring Initiative 40+ Monitoring Groups 350+ AMI sites 650 trained volunteers Volunteer time estimated at > 500k/yr 26

27 Citizen Science Apps Identifying barriers to fish migration 27

28 28

29 Use of Remote Sensing Data Current Uses in SEPA Riparian Hydromorphology Invasive Species Algal blooms Flood levels Waste crime Marine surveys 29

30 Decision-making that values benefits from nature Strategic Regional Local Prioritising issues Strategic planning Local planning decisions Cost-benefits of measures Licensing decisions 30 Business decisions

31 Working with business: VALUES - VAluing Land Use change and Ecosystem Services Funded by InnovateUK / NERC 31

32 Optimal pylon route to minimise impacts and maximise benefits on ecosystems and their services? Sensitivity map of ecosystems and their services to pylon development High Low Medium 1. Route selection 2. Route comparison 32

33 Future for Ecological Assessment in Regulatory Agencies Key needs Evidence for environmental decision-making Use wider sources of data and intelligence Engage citizen scientists Help businesses and communities to become more sustainable Cost-effectiveness of evidence! Innovate! 33