Action 22002 - Biodiversity, Water and Ecosystem Services (BIOMES)

The Action BIOMES provides support to the EU biodiversity, water and ecosystem protection policies. Scientific questions addressed by the Action include the role of biodiversity in underpinning ecosystem services, the adaptation of ecosystems and biodiversity to climate change and other drivers of biodiversity loss, and the spatial function of green and blue infrastructure.

A new paradigm is necessary in the way that ecosystems and biodiversity are incorporated into societal decision-making, where natural capital is currently undervalued. The concept of ecosystem services has been scientifically and politically acknowledged as having the potential to advocate the need for a better understanding of the links between biodiversity, ecosystems, species, services, and human well-being. Currently, biodiversity is under continuing serious pressure and, while some progress has been made, the EU 2010 biodiversity target (of a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity) will not be met. Progress requires putting biodiversity and ecosystems at the centre of other sectoral policies, integrating them into the spatial planning for water and land, and, together with benefits, making costs explicit.

The BIOMES Action aims to provide the scientific basis for this integration of policies, with a focus on mapping ecosystem services, developing robust modelling approaches that evaluate ecosystem dynamics and simulate future scenarios, and supporting EU nature and water policies with ecosystem-based management targets.

Freshwater tidal ecosystem in the River Scheldt, Belgium. The higher marches harbor a particular flora
that is tolerant to flooding during spring tides. The lower mudflats are  flooded daily
and contribute to the removal of nitrogen and to the oxygenation of the river.

Working in cooperation with the The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) network, the Action focuses on defining indicators and mapping ecosystem services in biophysical terms, and on the link with economic valuation in order to develop science-based methodologies for assessing the costs and benefits of conservation actions. Modelling across themes and driving forces is central to these activities. By building on existing (bio-geochemical and hydrological) model chains, the Action strengthens ecosystem modelling for the implementation of an eco-hydrological approach to assessing impacts on the river-floodplains-estuarine-coastal continuum, the services provided by these ecosystems and the identification of tipping points. These activities support Commission initiatives to prepare for the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) and to develop a post-2010 biodiversity policy framework to help set priorities within the field of biodiversity conservation in the EU.

It provides support to EU Directives protecting the ecosystem functions of inland and marine waters (Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive) with a focus on intercalibration for the definition of good ecological status, working towards a better integration of water related policies in other legislation.

The Action coordinates and provides key guidance for the intercalibration exercise on behalf of the Commission. The core objective is to help Member States ensure that their assignment of quality classes complies with the specifications of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and that they are comparable across European states (divided into geographic intercalibration groups). To address these and other challenges of the WFD in a collaborative and coordinated way, the Action co-leads the WFD Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) Working Group on Ecological Status.

The Action plays an important role in research on the ecological assessment of Europe's aquatic ecosystems. The Action participates in several EU Framework Programme projects and is currently carrying out research in the areas of climate change, method harmonisation, freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Specific objectives of the Action

• Spatial assessment of Europe's ecosystem services and biodiversity
• Research and development for ecosystem modelling and scenario analyses
• Research on ecosystem based adaptation to climate change
• Function as a scientific and technical reference (European Ecological Water Quality and Intercalibration, EEWAI) to develop, harmonise and intercalibrate new ecological indicators for monitoring and assessing the ecological quality and biodiversity of surface and marine waters. Including co-leadership of the WFD Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) Working Group on Ecological Status (ECOSTAT), and the coordination of specific activities on intercalibration and harmonisation of ecological assessment methods, ecological classification and monitoring activities.

More information can be found on the Rural, Water and Ecosystem Resources Unit web page.

Main customers 

- Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission/ Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)
- Commission for the Protection of the North-East Atlantic Oslo-Paris Convention (OSPAR)
- Environment Agencies EU
- Environment Ministries EU
- European Environment Agency
- United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan
- DG Environment
- DG MARE - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
- DG Research
- European Environmental Agency (EEA)

Key Publications of policy relevance

- Heiskanen, A.-S, van de Bund, W., Cardoso, A.C., Nõges, P., 2004. Towards good ecological status of surface waters in Europe - interpretation and harmonisation of the concept. Water Science and Technology 49 (7): 169-177.
- Nõges, P., van de Bund, W., Cardoso, A.C. & Heiskanen, A.-S., 2005. Setting ecological quality class boundaries for the Water Framework Directive: the lake intercalibration network. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 29 (1): 265-267.
- Nõges, P., G. Toth, L., van de Bund, W., Cardoso, A.C, Haastrup, P., Wuertz, J., de Jager, A., MacLean, A., Heiskanen, A-S., 2005. The Water Framework Directive Final Intercalibration Register for lakes, rivers, coastal and transitional waters: Overview and analysis of metadata. EUR 21671 EN.
- Nõges P., Poikane, S., Cardoso, A.C., van de Bund, W., 2006. Water Framework Directive - The way to water ecosystems sustainability in Europe. Lakeline 37: 36-43.

Contact Info:
 
Ana Cristina Cardoso - Tel.: +39-0332-785702
E-mail: ana-cristina.cardoso(at)jrc.ec.europa.eu