IWRM.NET: Towards a European-wide exchange network for improving dissemination of Integrated Water Resources Management research outcomes.
(Posted 25 May 2006)
Integrated water resources management (IWRM) - the comprehensive co-ordination of water development and use - is a prerequisite for compliance with the EU’s Water Framework Directive. The IWRM-Net project, led by the International Office for Water (IOW) and the International Network of Basin Organisations (INBO), the ERA-Net Specific support action, has set out to map national and regional IWRM-related research programmes in 15 countries throughout the enlarged EU-25. This is the first step towards the preparation of a demand-driven, bottom-up proposal for a full five-year ERA-NET project, whose aim will be the co-ordination and mutual opening of local programmes in pursuit of the common objectives established by the Water Framework Directive and the European Water Initiative.
For more information see the following website:
(http://www.politique-eau.gouv.fr/article.php3
?id_article=145&idRubSel=213&id_parent=181&id_rubrique=214&id_pere=181)
The IWRM-Net leaflet can be downloaded from:
(http://www.iwrm-net.org/IWRM-net_2006.pdf)
CYCLEAU
(Posted 25 May 2006)
The project helps to look after regional rivers, estuaries and coasts. Partner organisations from Ireland, SW England and France have joined together to help one another improve the ways in which they look after the watercourses. The Cycleau Project is being part-funded through a programme INTERREG IIIB Northwest Europe. The Environment Agency host the Cycleau transnational project team and take the lead on catchment profiling, risk assessment and diffuse pollution actions.
The Project’s final conference will take place in Quimper, Finistère, France on 12 & 13 October 2006: ‘EUREAUTERRITORIALES - Joining across the Water River Basin Management and European Territorial Co-operation’ The management of natural water resources will be one of the priorities of the future Territorial Co-operation Objective (the successor of the INTERREG Community Initiative Programme) of the European structural funds 2007-2013.
In light of this new round of structural funding, the event will focus on the European dimension of river basin management, with the aim of encouraging and nurturing a learning culture and sharing know-how among regions of Europe. The Cycleau project will disseminate lessons learnt on the management of European projects and showcase its final outputs. The conference is targeted at public authorities, NGOs, research institutes, local and regional authorities, local development and partnership bodies, community groups and any other bodies with an interest in integrated catchment management and water policies.
For conference programme and other details see the Cycleau website:
(http://www.cycleau.com/index.asp?id=1003703)
email: cycleau@environment-agency.gov.uk
Action 2124 - European Ecological Water Quality Assessment and Intercalibration, EEWAI
(Posted 25 May 2006)
Action 2124 supports the Commission Services and national/international bodies linked to EU water policies by co-ordinating and facilitating the WFD intercalibration process, acting on behalf of the Commission, and co-leading the WFD Common Implementation Strategy Working Group on Ecological Status. Currently, Action 2124 is hosting the WFD intercalibration Steering Group, which is responsible for coordination and facilitation of the intercalibration activities carried out in the Geographical Intercalibration Groups. Action 2124 is promoting a long-term development and harmonization of ecological quality assessment methods, including the identification of standardization needs with respect to WFD implementation, by developing and testing of WFD compliant bioindicators and classification tools for assessment of aquatic ecosystem health.
For details see the Action’s website:
(http://ies.jrc.cec.eu.int/eewai.html)
SCaMP – Sustainable Catchment Management Programme
(Posted 25 May 2006)
From 2005 to 2010, United Utilities and the RSPB are working together to deliver the SCaMP project that will benefit water and wildlife. The land they own is the gathering ground for the reservoirs which help supply more than 7 million people with water. It is also home to some of the UK’s most amazing wildlife, including the hen harrier, the curlew and the stonechat.
For more information see the United Utilities website:
(http://www.unitedutilities.com/?OBH=3227&SCH=scamp&ID=0)
THAMES21 – CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2006
(Updated June 2006)
Thames21 works to improve and maintain London’s rivers and canals in partnership with local communities, also they hold many of community clean ups across the capital every year as well as fun and informative public access days where members of the local community can find out more about their local stretch of river or canal.
A list of the events during May to August is available on the Thames21 website:
(http://www.thames21.org.uk)
EUROHARP PPROJECT
(Posted 25 May 2006)
The Final EUROHARP Scientific Seminar, ‘Integration and continuous dialogue between water managers and the research community are unavoidable stepping stones to bridging the gaps between Monitoring, Modelling and Management, ’ which took place 14-15 March 2006 at Biri in Norway, provided not only a comprehensive overview of the results of the EUROHARP Project, but also addressed related research and management issues, linked to diffuse losses of nitrogen and phosphorus. The EUROHARP Toolbox, one of the main deliverables of the project, was presented at the seminar.
The EUROHARP Toolbox is a website,
(http://www.euroharp.org/toolbox/index.php),
which provides factual and searchable information about the 9 quantification tools (models) tested in 17 European catchments.
Presentations from the Seminar will be available via the EUROHARP Dissemination on the project website:
(http://euroharp.org/index.htm)
Later this year a Special Issue of Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS) will be published with the most important EUROHARP project results.
NITRABAR PROJECT- Remediation of agricultural diffuse NITRAte polluted waters through the implementation of a permeable reactive BARrier
(Posted 25 May 2006)
The project aims to demonstrate a technological solution based on a biological process that helps protect surface waters from diffuse nitrate contamination arising from agricultural practices. Using readily available material such as organic waste and clay, the cost-effective system is expected to achieve a reduction of at least 85% in nitrate contamination in water originating from agricultural land within the first six months of operation. The project, part-financed by the European Union, will bring together an international consortium of eight partners from four Member States, coordinated by the University of Oxford. The NITRABAR project will be officially launched at the ecos millennium environmental centre, Ballymena, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, the chosen site for this demonstration project, on 26 May 2006.
For more information on the project see the LIFE website:
(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/infoproducts/lifeenvcompilation_05_lowres.pdf)
Or contact Dr Bruce Howard, NITRABAR Project Manager: nitrabar@earth.ox.ac.uk
MONAE - Monitoring Plan for Portuguese Coastal Waters Water Quality and Ecology
(Posted 25 May 2006)
Portugal has a number of important estuaries, which fall under the category of transitional waters. Two of these, and parts of the rivers which flow into them, form the northwestern and southeastern borders with Spain. Portugal has an extensive coastal area, which delimits the country to the west and to the south.
The MONAE project aims to provide a blueprint for the development of a successful and economically viable monitoring plan, based on soundly formulated hypotheses and containing appropriate verification instruments. Data were drawn from many sources, including the databases built during the coastal typology and reference conditions project TICOR.
For details see the project’s website:
(http://www.monae.org/)