7. Protecting freshwater environments Flashcards
Structure of the lecture
- Reiterating declines in freshwater ecosystems (See Lecture 5)
- What leads to river pollution in England?
- Current solutions and challenges?
- Case study: UK Chalk Rivers
What are the main sources of river pollution in the UK?
1.1
- HUMAN WASTE
- AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF
- PHARMACEUTICAL RUNOFF
- DOMESTIC WASTE
How is sewage spillover currently impacting our lakes and rivers?
1.2
Jackson et al., in prep
Most wastewater treatment usually has primary treatment (filtering), secondary treatment (enzymes), and sometimes tertiary treatment (more purification)
Treatment companies can choose to skip treatment when there is a storm, to prevent waste water flowing back up through drains and toilets
Spillover events have increased, but not as much as we think - we are just monitoring it more. However, this will start to increase as a product of climate change.
What are some of the key laws that have been passed to deal with river pollution?
1.3
These are key for protecting our rivers
River Acts (1951, 1961)
The Control of Pollution Act (1974)
Urban Wastewater Treatment Direction (1991)
The Nitrates Directive (1991)
EU Water Framework Directive (2000)
What are the main ways that we can protect our rivers?
2
Tickner et al., 2020
- Improving water quality
- Protecting and restoring critical habitats
- Managing the exploitation of species and riverine aggregations
- Preventing and controlling non-native species invasions
- Safeguarding and restoring freshwater connectivity
What is area-based protection, and what are its key challenges?
3.1
Definition: Protected areas. Currently covers 8% of the world’s oceans.
Policy: There are several new schemes in the UK to try to meet this goal, such as the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme, and increased funding to the Environment Agency
What are some of the key challenges to area-based protection?
3.2
(1) Despite the increase in freshwater PAs, freshwater biodiversity is still declining across the world
(2) Freshwater sites too often an afterthought
(3) Doesn’t protect inland waters, as water can come from outside the PA.
What is RAMSAR?
3.3
An important example of area-based protection
An intergovernmental treaty on Wetlands Conservation that was adopted in Ramsar in Iran in 1971
So far, it has protected 2435 sites
It has been internationally recognised as being of ‘significant value’ , and so far, covers an area larger than Mexico
The UK has the most sites
Wetlands are important for their productivity, biodiversity, water supply, building materials, food, flood control and carbon absorption
What is a Catchment-Based Approach?
4.1
Higgins et al., 2021
An integrated, community led approach to catchment-scale environmental restoration, and protection
Enhanced by frameworks like the Durable Protection Framework, which aims to bring freshwater protection up to speed with terrestrial/marine ecosystems
What are some of the key challenges involved in catchment-based approaches?
4.2
- Can be difficult when the catchments involved cross political boundaries (i.e., the Nile Basin Initiative aims to provide clean, fresh water to as many people as possible, but crosses too many country boundaries in North Africa
- Difficulties when there are too many stakeholders invovlved
- Schemes often too focused on economy, and not biodiversity
What are some of the key policies involved in freshwater conservation?
5.1
UNSDG6: Surrounds the need for water hygiene and sanitation
Aichi Biodiversity Target 11: Calls for a minimum of 17% of terrestrial and inland waters, and 10% of coastal/marine areas to be conserved
However, freshwater ecosystems are all too commonly secondary/unaddressed
What are some of the individual strategies to improving freshwater environments?
6
- Don’t flush wet wipes/sanitary products/medicaqtion
- Don’t pour away fats/oils/cleaning products
- Using phosphate-fres soaps
- No herbicides
- Not using tarmac/concrete for driveways
**However, these are all individual solutions to systemic problems, and this removes the accountability from large firms and corporations **
What is the current status of UK Chalk Rivers?
7/1
There are only ~200 chalk rivers around the world, and at least 85% are in the UK.
These are the most biodiverse of all UK rivers, but most are not protected in any way.
However, all are modified in some way, and are at threat from over-abstraction, chemical pollution, nutrient enrichment, intensive fishery management, invasive species etc.,
What are some of the key issues with water quantity in UK chalk rivers?
7.2
Acute and chronic low-flow issues, as a product of unsustainable extraction.
At least 75 chalk river streams ‘do not support a good ecological status for flow’
The Environment Agency’s Restoring Sustainable Abstraction programme has delivered alterations to licenses, and aims to return water and reduce leakage
What are some of the key issues surrounding water quality in UK Chalk rivers?
7.2
Elevated nutrients, sediments and toxic chemicals
Streams should run clear with little sediment, agricultural and road runoff.
However, phosphorus and nitrogen runoff is becomingly increasingly damaging in its excess, and is driving inhibition of plant root growth, reductions in resilience, limits to biodiversity, algal dominance, oxygen depletion, and eventually eutrophication, leading to poor quality water
Improvements made by the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive over the last 20 years
