Today's class builds on our discussion last time of IWRM by examining in more detail the innovative strategies under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) including how it is approaching the development of river basin management plans.
Last time the article by Barreira introduced you to the WFD adopted by the EU after long negotiations in 2000 and that is now driving major initiatives by governments and researchers in Europe to develop and implement the principles and practices of IWRM. The readings in preparation for this class will build on this and amplify the characteristics of the approach while giving you a sense of the progress to date.
One of the key characteristics of the WFD is that it is a staged approach over a time line that stretches from 2000 to 2025 and with specific goals to be achieved by the member nations by specific dates. You will find it helpful to print out a summary of the WFD schedule to which you can refer as you read about its component parts. As you are doing the readings reflect on the questions below for the three discussion sessions on our agenda for today.
Barreira, A. 2006. "Water Governance at the European Union." Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education. Issue 135. pp. 80-85.
There is an immense amount of information about the WFD on the EU and other web sites. Below I list selected pages that will provide you with a good basic introduction. Each of them provides additional links to greater detail if you should be interested.
WFD - Introduction and Overview This page provides a brief history of EU water management policy before the introduction of the WFD in 2000 and then summarizes the key components of the WFD.
Reaching Agreement on the 2000 WFD This page briefly lists key dates for the steps taken in the EU to reach agreement on the WFD. If you should be interested in learning more about the intriguing politics that drove the negotiations and ultimate decision on the content of the WFD there is a good overview article by Maria Kaika.
Water notes about IWRM, EU water legislation and WFD In a series of 12 short notes these pages amplify the key characteristics and components of the WFD and include information on the implementation progress so far. They are written in a very accessible style.
Transposition and Reporting Progress by Member States This page provides a summary of member nations progress so far in adopting the model WFD legislation and policies and submitting required reports. Each provides links to more detailed reports if you are interested in learning more.
The River Basin Management Plans From this page you can click on a map to get to individual countries web sites and from there to their component River Basin Management Plans. For example, click on England and then go to its list of RBMPs and look at the first one, Anglian River Basin District, where I spent the first 19 years of my life. Check out the titles of the sections in its Plan document.
The Second European Water Conference, held in April 2009, was focused on discussing the experiences and lessons from developing the first drafts of the RBMP's. Read the summary of the proceedings.
Check out the Water Information System for Europe (WISE) a most impressive resource that is now becoming operational as data begins to be uploaded from reporting countries and organizations. It also provides access to all kinds of conferences, workshops, research reports and documents. For example, if you go to the agenda for the Second European Water Conference, you can listen to presenters on video, download their presentation slides and the report that was the background for the conference.
Groups for Today
Group 1
Tamara, Kerri, Thomas D., Yaheli, Jason, Gordon, Ilana, Soheila, Kate, Thomas
Group 2
Erica, Jessie, Maria, Yazmin, Andrew, Cam, Josh, Rupert, Roanna
3.30-4.25
What are the distinctive characteristics of the EU WFD? In particular, what is strategic in its design for how to move forward?
4.35-5.25
What progress has been made in meeting the goals of the WFD? And what should we learn from this?
5.35-6.25
In general, what should be the content of a river basin management plan?
Preparations of next class