SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME THEME 6: Environment (including Climate Change) Adaptive strategies to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems Collaborative Project (large-scale integrating project) Grant Agreement 244121 Duration: February 1st, 2010 – January 31st, 2014 Deliverable 6.1: REPORT ON COMPLIANCE CHALLENGES AND REGULATORY AND PROPERTY RIGHTS REGIMES IN THE SELECTED CATCHMENTS Lead contractor: MACAULAY LAND USE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (MLURI) Other contractors involved: UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS; FINNISH ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE; BIOLOGY CENTRE AS CR; NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH; NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE FOR WATER RESEARCH Due date of deliverable: Month 9 Actual submission date: Month 10 Work package: 6 Contributors: A. Kontolaimou, D. Skuras, D. Psaltopoulos (editors) Estimated person months: 9 Project co-funded by the European Commission within the Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013) Dissemination Level (add X to PU, PP. RE or CO) PU Public Abstract This Deliverable presents an analysis of the main characteristics of the six demonstration catchments selected for integrated modelling in REFRESH, namely, Dee (Scotland), Thames (England), Louros (Greece), Pyhäjärvi/ Yläneenjoki/Pyhäjoki (Finland), Vansjǿ-Hǿbol (Norway), and Vltava (Czech Republic) and deals with the profiling of the aforementioned demonstration catchments using a common outline base. In more detail, the main objectives of Deliverable 6.1 are: i) To identify the main features and characteristics of the selected catchments and review compliance threats. ii) To describe the regulatory and property rights regimes which impact on water quality and compliance with the Habitat Directive (HD) and Water Framework Directive (WFD). iii) To present (in the context of the above two objectives) data with respect to the socio-economic impacts of compliance with HD and WFD. Deliverable 6.1 draws from six reports each one specific to the above catchments and summarizes the main features and environmental issues concerning these catchments. Information included is specific to the biophysical features of the selected catchments, land use patterns, factors affecting water quality (diffuse and point pollution and their causes) and quantity, local, national and European institutions and regulations and their implementation in the catchments. Based on the EEA DPSIR framework, the report concludes, presenting drivers, pressures, state, impact and responses to date for the selected six catchments. ii Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1 2 BIOPHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE CATCHMENTS……………………………………………………………….2 2.1 Location, size, water bodies and major wetlands………………………………………………………… 2 2.2 Climatic Zones and Rainfall Pattern…………………………………………………………………………….. 7 2.3 Geology and Relief……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9 2.4 Soils………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 13 2.5 River and floodplain characteristics……………………………………………………………………………15 2.5.1 Natural features……………………………………………………………………………………………………..15 2.5.2 Anthropogenic influence………………………………………………………………………………………… 16 3 LAND USE IN THE CATCHMENTS…………………………………………………………………………………… 18 3.1 History of human exploitation: a summary………………………………………………………………..18 3.2 Agricultural tenure and use………………………………………………………………………………………. 21 3.3 Forest tenure and use………………………………………………………………………………………………..25 3.4 Settlement patterns, population, livelihoods and industrial activity…………………………. 27 3.5 Other land uses, including nature conservation, hunting etc…………………………………….. 31 4 FACTORS AFFECTING WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY IN THE CATCHMENT……………….. 32 4.1 Quality issues……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 32 4.1.1 Diffuse pollution and its causes……………………………………………………………………………… 34 4.1.2 Point pollution and its causes………………………………………………………………………………….36 4.2 Quantity issues…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 38 4.3 Biodiversity issues……………………………………………………………………………………………………..40 4.3.1 Species…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 40 4.3.2 Habitats…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 42 5 LOCAL AND NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND REGULATION…………………………………………….. 44 5.1 History of water management institutions in the area……………………………………………….44 5.2 Current institutions…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 46 5.3 The distribution of power among stakeholders…………………………………………………………. 50 6. EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS AND REGULATIONS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION IN THE AREA………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 51 6.1 Water Framework Directive……………………………………………………………………………………… 51 6.2 Natura 2000……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 53 6.3 Other EU regulation………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 54 7 CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 56 7.1 Drivers……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 56 7.2 Pressures………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 56 7.3 State…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 56 7.4 Impacts…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 57 7.5 Responses to date…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 57 LITERATURE……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 66 LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..66 iii 1 Introduction According to the REFRESH FP7 project “Description of Work” document, the six demonstration catchments selected for integrated modelling in REFRESH are: Dee (Scotland), Thames (England), Louros (Greece), Pyhäjärvi/ Yläneenjoki/Pyhäjoki (Finland), Vansjǿ-Hǿbol (Norway), and Vltava (Czech Republic). These catchments broadly represent the major climatic regions of Europe and mix of land use and other pressures on water bodies and wetland quality. Task 1 of REFRESH Work-Package 6 (WP6) involves profiling the aforementioned demonstration catchments using a common outline base. In more detail, the main objectives of Deliverable 6.1 are: iv) To identify the main features and characteristics of the selected catchments and review compliance threats. v) To describe the regulatory and property rights regimes which impact on water quality and compliance with the Habitat Directive (HD) and Water Framework Directive (WFD). vi) To present (in the context of the above two objectives) data with respect to the socio-economic impacts of compliance with HD and WFD. Within this context, laboratories engaged in WP6 completed six reports, specific to each one of the above six catchments. Subsequently, this Deliverable draws from these six reports and summarizes the main features and environmental issues concerning the six catchments under examination based on the respective profiling reports. The following section provides information on the biophysical features of the selected catchments and in detail, on the location, size, water bodies and major wetlands; climatic zones and rainfall patterns; geology and relief; soils, and; river and floodplain characteristics (national features and anthropogenic influences). Section 3 deals with land use in each catchment and more specifically, with a history of human exploitation; agricultural and forest tenure and use; settlement patterns, population, livelihoods and industrial activity, and; other land uses including nature conservation and hunting. Factors affecting water quality (diffuse and point pollution and their causes) and quantity in the six catchments, are presented in Section 4, including the “state” of biodiversity species and habitats. Section 5 presents local and national institutions and regulation and in more detail, a history of water management institutions in each area; details on current institutions, and; the distribution of power amongst stakeholders. Section 6 deals with European institutions and regulations and their implementation in each study area, namely with the WFD, the ND and other EU regulations. Finally, Section 7 is based on the EEA DPSIR framework to conclude, presenting drivers, pressures, state, impact and responses to date for the selected six catchments. 1 2 Biophysical features of the catchments 2.1 Location, size, water bodies and major wetlands Dee catchment, Scotland The River Dee catchment is located in the north east of Scotland (Figure 1). The river rises at the wells of Dee in the Cairngorm Mountains on the slopes of Braeriach at an altitude of 1,220 m and drains initially southwards and then eastwards before it enters the North Sea at the harbour of Aberdeen. The catchment covers an area of about 2,100 km2 that cuts across the municipalities of Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. The total length of the main stem of the river is about 130 km. The river has 17 major tributaries and at least 8 major standing waters (lochs) mostly but not exclusively found in the lower land of the catchment. Impeded drainage of peaty soils has created a number of wetlands, including raised bogs in the lowland areas of the catchment and blanket bogs in parts of the upper catchment. Figure 1. Location of the Dee catchment in Scotland. Thames catchment, England Rivers Thames and one of its major tributaries Kennet are located in the south of England. River Thames rises in the Cotswolds hills (about 110m) near Cirencester, Gloucestershire and from there it flows through many historical cities and towns including Oxford, Reading and London before entering into the North Sea (Figure 2). In total, Thames is about 346km long from its source to the sea. According to the Environment Agency estimate, the river catchment area is about 16,133km2 from the source to