Habitats Directive

Almost half of the plants and animals listed in the Habitats Directive [1] are present in the Mediterranean region. This large number reflects not only the variety of threats in the region, but also its remarkable abundance of species. There are more plants here than in other European biogeographic regions together [2]. 

European Directives of particular importance to the water environment move to the achievement of defined environmental outcomes in the form of ecological status (Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC) and habitat protection (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC). 

In the last years different other biotic indices have been designed to assess the ecological quality of coastal waters. The development of biological indicators as a tool for the assessment and hence protection of biological diversity in European coastal and marine ecosystems has been advanced due to the implementation of the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive (WFD). 

It is widely accepted that there is a need for more evidence (system understanding) to support sediment management decisions in relation to both WFD and other legislative drivers, such as the Birds and Habitats Directive. Currently the only suspended sediment guideline in legislation is from the Fisheries Directive, which sets a target value of less than 25 ppm mean annual suspended sediment concentration, which may be sufficient to protect fisheries but is unlikely to address all water body ecosystem requirements. 

The impact of climate change on freshwaters will necessitate thorough re-evaluation of national, EU and UNECE policies related to enviromnental protection. For freshwater ecosystems there are potentially major implications for the EU Habitats Directive, the Urban Wastewaters Directive and the Water Framework Directive, and for the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLTRAP). 

Department for Environment Food and Rural Af irs. 2004. European Union Birds and Habitats Directives. Natura 2000. www.defra.gov.uk Department of Trade and Industry (UK). 2004. Supply and Consumption of Coal (Table... 

Biological Criteria While the overall mandate of the Clean Water Act may now be more clearly stated and understood, the tools needed are stiU under development, and their bill application is being worked out. The direction is towards a more comprehensive approach to water quality protection, which might be more appropriately termed water resource protection to encompass the living resources and their habitat along with the water itself. 

In contrast to the wealth of biogenetic speculation and model experimentation, none of which has direct bearing on actual biochemical events in the synthesis of /3-carbolines in their natural habitat, very few biosynthetic investigations have been carried out. As predicted, radioactivity from 2- C-tryptophan was incorporated into carbon atom-3 of the 1,2,3,4,4a,9a-hexahydro-)3-carboline moiety of ajmaUne and into carbon atom-3 of the jS-carbohnium segment... 

Sensitive ecosystems that cannot neutralize the unnatural levels of acidity are adversely affected. Soil nutrient systems may be altered with a resulting direct or indirect damage to forest. Aquatic habitats have been chemically altered and many lakes and streams no longer support the traditional life forms. Fish have been lost from many lakes with a resulting affect on other food-web elements. 

Water birds have not been shown to be directly affected by acidification. However, the prey of waterbirds may be of concern as these lower food-chain organisms may have elevated levels of toxic metals related to acidification of their habitat. Moreover, most water birds rely on some component of the aquatic food-chain for their high protein diet. Invertebrates that normally supply caJcium to egg-laying birds or their growing chicks are among the first to disappear as lakes acidify. As these food sources are reduced or eliminated due to acidification, bird habitat is reduced and reproductive rate of the birds is affected. The Common Loon is able to raise fewer chicks, or none at all, on acidic lakes where fish populations are reduced 37 and 5S). However, in some isolated cases, food supplies can be increased when competitive species are eliminated (e.g.. Common Goldeneye ducks can better exploit insects as food when competition from fish is eliminated). The collective influences of acidification are difficult to quantify on a specific area basis but for species that rely on a healthy aquatic ecosystem to breed, acidification remains a continuing threat in thousands of lakes across eastern North America 14). 

Laboratory experiments using natural consortia under defined conditions have particular value from several points of view. They are of direct environmental relevance, and their use minimizes the ambiguities in extrapolation from the results of studies with pure cultures. They provide valuable verification of the results of studies with pure cultures and make it possible to evaluate the extent to which the results of such studies may justifiably be extended to the natural environment. It should be appreciated, however, that in some cases the habitats from which the inoculum was taken might already have been exposed to xenobiotics so that natural enrichment (preexposure) could already have taken place. This has been discussed in Chapter 4. 

Council of European Economic Community (1992) Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. Off J Eur Community L 206 7... 

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