Strategies, Law and Regulation in the EU：
River Impacts on Oceans and Coasts
Carl Gustaf Lundin
Director, Global Marine & Polar Programme
IUCN
Structure
1. European Union Framework
2. Water Framework Directive
3. River-basin decisions
 Algal bloom
 Hazardous substances
4. Physical Modifications
5. Strategies and Solutions
– Blue Carbon
European Union Framework
• Beyond EU: National legislations
• National legislations: heterogeneous
Different
countries
Different
ministries
Different
national
legislations
Standardized regulatory base:
EU legislative policies & directives
European Union Framework
Key Marine and Freshwater Instruments
Common Fisheries Policy (1970)
Habitats Directive (1992)
Biodiversity Strategy (1998)
Strategic Environmental Assessment (2001)
Water Framework Directive (2000)
Integrated Maritime Policy (2007)
Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008)
• EU Directives: mostly started in the 1990s
• Aim: rectify missing legislations (marine)
European Union Framework
Key Marine Instruments
Common Fisheries Policy (1970)
Habitats Directive (1992)
Biodiversity Strategy (1998)
Strategic Environmental Assessment (2001)
Water Framework Directive (2000)
Integrated Maritime Policy (2007)
Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008)
• Some country’s national legislations more stringent
• National legislations are important
Relevance to China
River Rhine
Yangtze River
• Operates in similar geographical scale
• Framework provides standardized structure
• River Rhine/Yangtze River: brings together
heterogeneous member States/Provinces
Water Framework Directive (WFD)
• Objectives:
– Achieve good ‘ecological status’ by 2015
– New ways of protecting and improving:
• Rivers, lakes, groundwater, estuaries, coastal waters,
land drainage
– Integrated ecological improvement
• Physical habitat, water quality and flow regime
• Relevance to China:
Long term perspective of implementation process
Polluter Pays Principal
Milestones in WFD Implementation
Source: EU China River Basin Management Programme
RIVER BASINS
OCEANS + COASTS
Arkansas Water Advisory Group
RIVER BASINS
+
OCEANS + COASTS
DIRECT MODIFICATIONS
OCEANS + COASTS
=
TOTAL IMPACT ON
OCEANS + COASTS
青岛港
Algal Bloom
• Nitrates and Phosphates
found in river systems
• Point and non-point
sources
• Dependent on sewage
and agricultural
management decisions
in river basins
© Daily Mail
Point Source Pollution:
- Sewage
- Industry
Diffuse Source
Pollution:
- Agriculture
- Urban land use and
development
Natural Inputs:
- Freshwater
- Sediments
ACCUMULATION
INTO OCEANS
AND COASTS
© Daily Mail
Hazardous Substances
• Examples:
安徽省
© Lu Guang
– PCBs
– Lead
– DDE (a degradated
product of DDT)
– Cadmium
– Mercury
– TBT
– Dioxins
– Brominated flame
retardants, etc.
Point Source Pollution:
- Industries, factories
- Sewage
Diffuse Source
Pollution:
- Urban land use
- Urban development
- Agriculture
ACCUMULATION
INTO OCEANS
AND COASTS
© China Daily
River Basin Decisions
Sewage
Runoff
Development
Industrial
Various management boards
Multiple river basins
Impact numerous deltas
ACCUMULATION
EFFECT
Good Environmental Status
of Oceans + Coasts
dependent on
needed to achieve
Agriculture
Physical Modifications of
Rivers, Coasts and Oceans
ECONOMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL
SOCIETY
Land for development of
industries
Threat to ecosystem
functions
Revenue for local
governments
Accessible and cheap
transportation
Intensifies red tides and
fisheries decline
Minimize compensation
loss for buying land and
changing land use
Avoid land use conflicts
Pollution
Alternative source of
energy for development
Valuable energy resource
Add into carbon budget
Incentive for uncontrolled
land reclamation
Great economic loss
Destroy natural coastal
associated with natural and protection barriers and
man-made hazards
habitats
Physical Modifications of
Rivers, Coasts and Oceans
ECONOMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL
SOCIETY
Land for development of
industries
Threat to ecosystem
functions
Revenue for local
governments
Accessible and cheap
transportation
Intensifies red tides and
fisheries decline
Minimize compensation
loss for buying land and
changing land use
Avoid land use conflicts
Pollution
Alternative source of
energy for development
Valuable energy resource
Add into carbon budget
Incentive for uncontrolled
land reclamation
Great economic loss
Destroy natural coastal
associated with natural and protection barriers and
man-made hazards
habitats
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami 2011
© BBC
‘It is now the crucial moment
for China to set strategic plans for the
development of its oceans & coasts for the
next 10 to 20 years – A key phase to
stimulate sustainable social and economic
development in the future’
River Basin management decisions integrated with
Ocean management decisions.
Significance of EU WFD to China
Theme
Analysis
HISTORY
Water policy and legislation shaped over a 25-year period
bringing together differing member States.
Suitable model for China to follow with varying
differences at provincial levels.
CHARACTERISTICS
1. Clear governance structure
2. Management by objective
3. Ecology at the centre
Clear and easy framework to be followed, with specific
goals and targets to be met.
IMPLEMENTATION
Long term perspective: spans equivalent of three Fiveyear plans of China.
Take into account long term implementation and
execution process.
COSTS
- Polluter pays principal
- Payment by beneficiaries
Mechanisms allow funding for measures to be executed
effectively
Strategy and Solutions
• Mountain top to ocean management (New
trend to coastal management)
• Structure of management boards
– Involve river basin managers in coastal planning
boards and vice versa
• Monitoring and Assessment: every stage of
the process
Policy Solution:
Blue Carbon
• Coastal ecosystems - mangroves,
salt marshes, seagrass meadows
and kelp forests
• Over 55% biological carbon is
captured by marine living
organisms
• High carbon storage in soils of
coastal wetlands
• Degradation = substantial carbon
emissions and loss of carbon
sequestration functions
Policy Solution:
Blue Carbon
• Include coastal carbon sinks
into climate change policy
frameworks
• Development of new
financial mechanisms to
support blue carbon
• Some policy mechanisms
readily available, others are
yet to be developed
广东省
© Lu Guang
贝江广西省
Thank you!
IUCN – Global Marine and Polar Programme
http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/marine/