Eurowet - Guidance on the role of wetlands in the river basin management process

This Technical Guidance Document identifies needs with regard to research and activities in the field of wetlands in support of the WFD. The key aim of the Technical Guidance is to reinforce the Horizontal Guidance being prepared as part of the Common Implementation Strategy of the Water Framework Directive. The text of the Horizontal Document is aimed at making as clear as possible a distinction between legal obligations and best practice recommendations.


It attempts to address the follwoing points by considering further the hydrological, ecological and socio-economic role of wetlands in the delivery of societal benefits and policy requirements:

• defining more in detail how to include wetlands in the programme of measures when preparing the programme of measures themselves;
• recognizing the diversity of wetlands in the EU and therefore understanding the different ways in which wetlands restoration may contribute to River Basin Management (RBM);
• setting indicators for assessing the progress achieved regarding wetland restoration as part of the river basin management plan;
• defining indicators and monitoring methods to establish a relationship between wetland health and groundwater quality and quantity status;
•  identifying wetlands within protected areas;
• elucidating the contribution of wetlands to the environmental cost recovery;
• investigating links concerning reporting and monitoring for wetland management under both the WFD and the Ramsar Convention.

Case studies and examples are used to illustrate more effectively how wetlands could be integrated in the WFD implementation with respect to delivering the environmental objectives of the Directive and at the same time protecting, enhancing and restoring a very much threatened resource around Europe.