Critique of the DPSIR
framework
Alice Newton
IMAR- University of Algarve
DPSIR “vocabulary”
~Drivers
~Pressures
~State
~Impacts
~Responses
Advantage:
ordinary words
not jargon
Disadvantage:
frequently misused or
substituted
OECD (1993).
OECD core set of indicators for environmental performance
reviews. OECD Environment Monographs No. 83. OECD. Paris.
DPSIR
Pressures
+ eutrophication
BOD
DO
Nutrients
State variables
Responses
O.E.C.D. 1993, 2004
DPSIR
+ eutrophication
Drivers: need to update, maybe price of oil
will be a major driver with increased
biofuels
Pressures: need to consider “difficult”
aspects such as loss of denitrifying
wetlands, atmospheric deposition
Examples of “New” drivers
~ Tourism: car, plane, golf,
demographics of coast
~ Lifestyles: joining EU!, changing
economies central to market,
changing diets, more meat
~ Agriculture (actually biomass
production): biofuels, aquaculture
Impacts
Need to break these down and
check on all to see if there is are
impacts that are:
Environmental
Ecological
Economic
Social
Health
Impacts
~ environmental e.g. increase turbidity,
~ ecological, e.g. loss of biodiversity,
~ economic e.g. lower fish catches,
~ social e.g. loss of fishing jobs
~ health e.g. contaminated shellfish
Impacts
~ Environmental
~ Ecological
~ Economic
~ Social
~ Health
~ Poor water quality
~ Loss of seagrass, ecosystem
service nursery function
~ Loss of fishing catch and
revenues
~ Loss of fishing jobs
~ Contaminated shellfish
ECOLOGICAL IMPACT
Biological Quality Elements
~ Phytoplankton
~ Other plants
~ Benthos
~ Fish
Annex V of WFD and Intercalibration
STATE
Supporting elements:
Nutrient concentrations
Si:N
N:P
Transparency
Bottom water Oxygen
BQE metrics
Chlorophyll a
Cell counts
HAB
Opportunist algae biomass
Biodiversity of benthos
AMBI
Annex V of WFD and Intercalibration
IMPACT
(ECOLOGICAL)
Biological Quality Elements
Phytoplankton
Other plants
Benthos
Fish
ECOLOGICAL
IMPACT
Phytoplankton
Increase HABs, NABs
Other plants
Loss of seagrass
Increase opportunistic
algae
Benthos
Loss of sensitive taxa,
Increase tolerant taxa
Fish
Loss of nurseries for
juveniles
Loss of sensitive taxa
Annex V of WFD and Intercalibration
ECONOMIC
IMPACT
Loss of aquaculture revenue
Loss of tourism revenue
Public health concerns
ASP, DSP, NSP
Cost of removing algae
Mass mortalities
Loss of shellfisheries revenue
Fish kills
Loss of fisheries revenue
Responses
of society,
e.g. new management criteria,
new infrastructure,
new policy
Conclusions
Drivers: need to update, maybe price of oil will be a
major driver with increased biofuels
Pressures: need to consider “difficult” aspects such
as loss of denitrifying wetlands, atmospheric
deposition
State: need to test the metrics for the physicochemical supporting quality elements and the
Biological Quality Elements and move towards
INTEGRATIVE ASSESSMENT
Impact: must link economic impact to ecological
impacts, NOT consider them separately. Clearly
shows the value of ecosystem services
Response: Should address the drivers! Is building
UWWT plants the only answer? What about CAP
and farming practices?