« BEST OPTION » AND MOST REALISTIC WATER INDICATORS TO COVER THE KEY WETLAND ISSUES :
AN INITIAL PROPOSAL (C.Cordani)
Legend :
 P : Proxy indicator (related to the problem)
 E : Indicator corresponding largely to a wetland/ ecosystem approach (several types of wetlands covered) ;
 Ep : Indicator partly corresponds to a wetlands / ecosystem approach (e.g. only covering rivers)
 S : Indicator that can be monitored by Satellite images
 R : Indicator already regularly monitored at a pluri-national scale
Problematic
Indicator "Best
option"
Advantages
Drawbacks
Indicator "the most
realistic option"
Advantages
Drawbacks
Aquatic ecosystems, when in good condition…
Proxy indicator
… benefit
from sufficient
amounts of
water
Change in the
flooded area of
ecosystems
(A.S.E., 2007)
E/S
... receive
unaltered
water flows
(quantity and
periodicity)
Variation of
ecological services
of wetlands due to
changes in
hydrological regime
(Acreman et al.,
2010)
E
... have a
natural
morphology
(both
upstream/
Proportion of rivers,
lakes, transitional
water and coastal
water affected by
hydromorphological
pressures
(A.E.E., 2012)
Directly connected with
ecosystems approach
Possibility of diachronic
monitoring and quantified by
satellite at the Mediterranean
scale
Link between wetlands and
hydrological regimes
Includes a human element with
the "ecological services"
Integrates into a single indicator
several types of wetlands (water
bodies)
Used by the European
Environment Agency
Still in development
Does not apply to
groundwater
Research project completed
(no example of monitoring /
application in "routine")
Very few data in the East and
South of the Mediterranean
basin
Does not take into account
the types of wetlands which
are not water bodies (WFD)
Volume variation of
water stored in a
region/ basin
(NASA., 2013)
P/S/R
Changes in water
supply of wetlands
(Acreman et al.,
2010)
E
1st choice :
Proportion of rivers,
lakes, transitional
water and coastal
water affected by
hydromorphological
pressures
Operational
Possibility of diachronic
monitoring and quantified by
satellite at the Mediterranean
scale
Link between wetlands and
hydrological regimes
Integrates into a single
indicator several types of
wetlands (water bodies)
Used by the European
Environment Agency
Quantify not directly the deficits
/ gains of water in wetlands
Need a partnership with the
NASA to analyze the data at the
Mediterranean scale (heavy
approach?)
Research project completed (no
example of monitoring /
application in "routine")
Very few data in the East and
South of the Mediterranean
basin
Does not take into account the
types of wetlands which are not
water bodies (WFD)
downstreal
and lateral
connectivity
maintained)
E/R
(A.E.E., 2012)
E/R
Apply to wetlands ecosystems
2nd choice :
Ecological and
sedimentary
continuity
(Agence de l'eau.,
2013)
Ep/R
... receive
sufficient
sediments
fluxes
Ecological and
sedimentary
continuity of rivers
(Agence de l'eau.,
2013)
Ep/R
Apply to wetlands ecosystems
Used in the monitoring of the
Water Framework Directive
Does not quantify the volume
of sediment
1st choice :
Volume of
sediment
discharged into the
Mediterranean Sea
by rivers
(Ludwig et al. 2003)
P
Only for streams
2nd choice :
Sediment transfert
(CBD, 2011)
Continuity is one of the
components of the first choice
indicator (less data needed to
calculate the indicator)
Does not take into account the
morphology of water bodies
Only for streams
Used in the monitoring of the
Water Framework Directive
Proxy indicator (sediment
arriving in the sea and not in
wetlands directly)
Simple calculation (modeling,
see Ludwig et al. 2003)
Very important topic :
(i) relates to soil erosion in
landscapes (therefore food
security); and (ii) sediment
transfer etc. through rivers to
estuaries/deltas. Very
important influence on
coastal/delta wetlands. Very
important re. disaster risk
management/resilience etc.
Difficult to monitor, very few
data available, punctual
calculation: no guarantee of
repeat
Few data and few
Mediterranean countries
(Algeria, Egypt, Morocco,
Tunisia, Albania, France, Italy)
Database has not been updated
since 2000
Some measures are very old (eg
50’s-60’s)
... maintain a
good water
quality
1st choice :
Concentration of
chlorophyll-a in
lakes (A.S.E., 2012)
P/Ep/S
Proportion of rivers,
water, lakes,
transitional water
and coastal water in
good ecological
state
2nd choice :
Grey water
footprint
(MEKONNEN, M.M.
and HOEKSTRA, A.Y.,
2011)
R
SEE BELOW
… provide
generally
good
environmental
status for
biodiversity
Proportion of rivers,
water, lakes,
transitional water
and coastal water in
good ecological
state (O.N.B., 2013)
E/R
Very inclusive : takes into account
several types of water bodies and
all aspects of the status of
wetlands : biological, physicochemical and hydromorphological
Used for WFD (data available for
Europe?)
Tests transposition of WFD
approach outside the EU
(Morocco / Sebu, etc ...)
Demand significant financial
and technical resources
Few data in the South and
East Mediterranean, even in
the medium term
Water Quality Index
for Biodiversity
(CARR G,
RICKWOOD C.,
2008)
E/R
Possibility of diachronic
monitoring and quantified by
satellite at the Mediterranean
scale
Can integrate various pollutants
into a single index (volume of
water)
Water footprint accounts give
spatiotemporally explicit
information regarding how
water is appropriated for
various human purposes.
Synthetic indicator
Based on the most
comprehensive in the world
database on water quality
Proxy indicator, which covers
only part of the problem
(especially eutrophication)
Currently applies only to lakes
and coastal waters
It is not a measure of the
severity of the local
environmental impact of water
pollution.
GEMS-Water data are heavily
biased "North Med" (4000 +
stations in Europe, less than 200
for the whole Asia and less than
80 for all Africa)
Rapportages are not always
consistent (regularity, number of
stations, etc.).
Societies exploit water resources in a rational / sustainable way :
1. in general
2. surface
waters
3.
underground
resources
1
Threats to human
water security and
river biodiversity
(Vörösmarty et al.,
2010)
Ep
Surface water
abstraction
(A.E.E., 2012)
R
Saltwater intrusion
(A.E.E., 2005)
P/Ep/R
Dual input human/ ecosystems
Zoom capability on the
Mediterranean basin
Research project completed
(no example of monitoring /
application in "routine")
Dividable into three subindicators
Used by the European
Environment Agency
Has no ecosystem
component (does not include
the needs of aquatic
environments)
Measures only withdrawn,
not actual consumption
The phenomenon can potentially
affect wetlands ecosystems ->
link with the ecosystem
Does not cover completely
the problem (only one of the
possible impacts)
Applies only to coastal zone
1st choice :
Ratio of water
withdrawn / total
amount of water
available and
environmental
water
requirements.
(IWMI., 2005)
Ep
2nd choice :
Blue water
consumption as
compared to its
availability
(MEKONNEN, M.M.
and HOEKSTRA, A.Y.,
2011) E/R
Use of
unconventional
water resources
(Plan Bleu., 2012)
P/R
Unsustainable
water production
(Plan Bleu., 2000)
R
Double entry operations /
ecosystems (taking into
account the needs of the
community)
Ability to monitor the entire
Mediterranean basin
Consideration of ecosystems
with blue water
Takes into account the strict
consumption and not the total
withdrawn
Used by Blue Plan
Quantifies the original pressure
Applicable even outside coastal
zone
Does not distinguish between
groundwater / surface  not
separable to cover the following
two issues (see surface water
abstraction ...)
Takes into account the
withdrawn and non-strict
consumption 1
Good global coverage, but does
not cover the south-eastern
Europe, southern and eastern
Mediterranean
Indirectly related to ecosystems
(pressure changes from one
environment to another
(marine))
Not related to ecosystems
Does not cover completely the
problem (but more forward
than salinization)
Water consumption is the abstraction of water used by a system. Withdrawals represent the water that is removed from a community. But a part of this water may return to the
environment after use. It is often not clear how much water returns to the environment, under what conditions or where in the basin. Withdrawals can be a better or a worse information
than the water consumed to indicate the impact on available water resources and ecosystems. The water used here is chosen as an advantage, but the discussion is still open.