INDEX

• Footprint – Creating Tools for Pesticide Risk Assessment and Management in Europe
  FOOTPRINT (Functional Tools for Pesticide RIsk assessmeNt and managemenT) is a research project funded by the European Commission as part of its 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FR6).  The project aims at developing computer tools to evaluate and reduce risk of pesticides impacting on water resources in the EU (surface water and groundwater).
• SPI-Water – Science-Policy Interfacing in Support of the WFD Implementation
  SPI-water is an EC research project (FP6) in the context of specific Support to Policies aiming to enhance the interfacing between science and policy with respect to the WFD Implementation.
• The OPENMI-LIFE Project
  The goal of OpenMI-LIFE is to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and, more particularly, making integrated water management feasible.
• CONCERT’EAU LIFE Project
  The project’s main objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of a collaborative technological platform (CTP).
• MODELKEY EC 6th Framework Programme
  MODELKEY comprises a multidisciplinary approach aiming at developing interlinked and verified predictive modelling tools as well as state-of-the-art effect-assessment and analytical methods generally applicable to European freshwater and marine ecosystems.
• Towards effective River Basin Plans: IWRM-NET joint call for research
  The IWRM-NET partners have agreed on a common research programme dealing with integrated water resource management within the context of the Water Framework Directive implementation.
• NITRABAR Project – launch of a special exhibition
  The project is launching an exhibition in Ballymena, County Antrim on 29 January 2008, marking the installation of the NITRABAR demonstration system.
• LIFE+ (2007-2013)
  LIFE+, the new EU Financial Instrument for the Environment with a budget of €2.143 billion, has entered into force with the publication of the Regulation in the Official Journal L149 of 9 June 2007.

FOOTPRINT - CREATING TOOLS FOR PESTICIDE RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN EUROPE
(Posted 8 February 2008)

FOOTPRINT (Functional Tools for Pesticide RIsk assessmeNt and management) is a research project funded by the European Commission as part of its sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6). The project aims at developing computer tools to evaluate and reduce the risk of pesticides impacting on water resources in the EU (surface water and groundwater). The project aims at developing a suite of three pesticide risk prediction and management tools, to be used by three different end-user communities:

• farmers and extension advisors (farm scale)
• water managers (catchment scale)
• policy makers/registration authorities (national/EU scale).

The project’s website also includes ‘FOOTPRINT PPDB’,  a database holding data on environmental fate and ecotoxicological properties for a large number of pesticides and their metabolites, including all those registered in Europe. The FOOTPRINT consortium is made of 15 partners The project started in January 2006 and benefits from DG Research support for 3 years, i.e. until the end of 2008.

For more details on the project, annual Newsletter (due in February), presentations from project meetings and other information visit the project’s website:
(http://www.eu-footprint.org/home.html)

SPI-WATER
Science-Policy Interfacing in Support
of the WFD Implementation
(Posted 8 February 2008)

SPI-water is an EC research project (FP6) in the context of Specific Support to Policies aiming to enhance the interfacing between science and policy with respect to the WFD implementation. The project started on 1st November 2006 and will run for 2 years. There is a clear need for streamlining of information from e.g. the scientific community to policy decision-makers. In this respect, efforts are on-going in the framework of various initiatives to examine how an efficient and operational ‘science-policy interface’ could be developed in support of the implementation of the WFD. This development is being undertaken in the framework of the Common Implementation Strategy of the WFD and in close cooperation with the Harmoni-CA concerted action that has initiated the WISE-RTD Web Portal. The ultimate aim is to develop an interface that could meet the demand of different levels of users and other stakeholders, ensuring an efficient dissemination and use of research results and experiences.

For more details on the project visit the project’s website:
(http://www.spi-water.eu/)

THE OPENMI-LIFE PROJECT
(Posted 8 February 2008)

The goal of OpenMI-LIFE is to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and, more particularly, make integrated water management feasible. This requires an ability to predict not only how individual catchment processes will respond to “programmes of measures” but also to foresee how those processes will interact with each other. Prediction is achieved through the use of models but until the development of the OpenMI, no generic open practical mechanism existed that could link together models of different processes. HarmonIT, funded by FP5, has developed and proved the highly innovative concept of the Open Modelling Interface, which solves this complex problem. OpenMI-LIFE will demonstrate how it can be deployed, used, supported and funded at the operational level on real world scale problems. The project duration is 40 months from October 2006 to January 2010.

Further information on the project and related past and future events are available on the project’s website:
(http://www.openmi-life.org/?lang=0)

CONCERT’EAU LIFE PROJECT
Collaborative Technological Platform for WFD Implementation within Agricultural Context
(Posted 8 February 2008)

The project’s main objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of a collaborative technological platform (CTP). This aims to support the integrative management of agriculture and reduce its impacts on water and the related aquatic ecosystems of the Gascogne river basin in the Adour-Garonne district, in accordance with the WFD requirements. Duration of the project is 36 months (October 2006 – September 2009).

Further information on the project and related past and future events are available on the project’s website:
(http://concerteau.ecobag.org/)

MODELKEY EC 6^TH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME
Models for Assessing and Forecasting the Impact of Environmental Key Pollutants on
Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems and Biodiversity
(Posted 8 February 2008)

One of the driving forces for an insufficient ecological status and reduced biodiversity of freshwater and marine ecosystems is chemical stress due to environmental pollutants. The WFD classifies the quality status of aquatic ecosystems based on traditional hydromorphological, physico-chemical, biological parameters and priority pollutant (PP) concentrations. This procedure allows a rough quality assessment. However, a reliable diagnosis, prediction and forecasting of toxic impacts on aquatic ecosystems and an efficient mitigation of toxic risks demand for an identification of the respective stressors and for reliable cause-effect relationships between chemical pollution and biodiversity decline.

To date severe gaps of knowledge impede the evaluation and mitigation of the causes for an insufficient ecological status in many aquatic ecosystems. MODELKEY comprises a multidisciplinary approach aiming at developing interlinked and verified predictive modelling tools as well as state-of-the-art effect-assessment and analytical methods generally applicable to European freshwater and marine ecosystems. The project duration is from 1 February 2005 to 31 January 2010.

For more information visit the project’s website:
(http://www.modelkey.ufz.de/)

TOWARDS EFFECTIVE RIVER BASIN PLANS
IWRM-NET JOINT CALL FOR RESEARCH
(Update Posted 17 December 2007)

IWRM-NET first joint call is a trans-national initiative funding by IWRM-NET partners. After a year and a half, IWRM-NET partners have agreed on a common research programme dealing with Integrated Water Resource Management within the context of the Water Framework Directive implementation. The focus of this call is applied research to support development of the 2015 river basin plans. IWRM-NET wishes to develop a series of case studies, which include field testing and applications that can be used by river basin managers across Europe. Trans-national collaborative research projects will be directed to the following two topics:

• Hydrological and morphological pressures and impacts on ecological status
• Water Governance

The research period is limited to a maximum of 24 months between 2008 and 2010. Deadline for submission of applications: February 28 2008

For details visit the IWRM-NET website:
(http://www.iwrm-net.org/spip.php?rubrique43)

NITRABAR PROJECT – LAUNCH OF A SPECIAL EXHIBITION
(Posted 17 December 2007)

The NITRABAR project (Remediation of Agricultural Diffuse NITRAte Polluted Waters through the Implementation of a Permeable Reactive BARrier) is a pan-European partnership, bringing together the expertise and experience from partners from four European Union Member States. According to Knowledge Transfer Networks (http://ipmnet.globalwatchonline.com/epicentric_portal/site/IPMNET/menuitem.9a12c0027db50f589c9ed9100680e1a0/) the project is launching a special exhibition in Ballymena, County Antrim on 29 January 2008, marking the installation of the NITRABAR demonstration system. NITRABAR system is a passive system for the removal of nitrates derived from past and present agricultural practices. Essentially, the system is a narrow trench, installed between the field and a water body, which is filled with a mixture of natural materials. As groundwater, runoff and field drainage waters pass through the system the nitrates are converted to nitrogen gas by micro-organisms which attach themselves to, or live in between, the materials. It is expected that this approach will achieve an 85% reduction in the nitrate level in waters passing through the system.

For updates on the project visit the NITRABAR website:  (http://www.nitrabar.eu/)

LIFE+ (2007-2013)
(Updated 17 December 2007)

LIFE+, the new EU Financial Instrument for the Environment, has entered into force with the publication of the Regulation in the Official Journal L149 of 9 June 2007. With a budget of €2.143 billion, LIFE+ is a limited but focused funding instrument providing specific support for the development and implementation of Community environmental policy and legislation. This includes the three following components

• LIFE+ Nature & Biodiversity
• LIFE+ Environment Policy & Governance
• LIFE+ Information & Communication

The deadline for the submission of proposals to the Member States was 30 November 2007 and Member State have to submit proposals to Commission by 15 January 2008. The earliest possible starting date for projects is 1 January 2009.

For further details visit the LIFE website:
(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/lifeplus.htm)