1. Description of national assessment methods

2. WFD compliance checking

3. Results IC feasibility checking

4. IC dataset collected

5. Common benchmark: IC reference conditions or alternative benchmark

6. Comparison of methods and boundaries

Section – Macrophytes

Summary text

Mediterranean Macrophyte GIG

Description of national assessment methods

National methods participating in the IC

Member State / Method / Status
France / IBML (French Macrophyte Index for Lakes) / Intercalibratable finalized method (but not formally agreed)
Italy / MacroIMMI (Macrophytic index for the evaluation of the ecological quality of the Italian lakes) / Finalized formally agreed national method
Spain / Spanish macrophytes assessment method / Finalized formally agreed national method

Required BQE parameters

Based on the information below, the GIG considers that all methods are compliant with respect to macrophytes.

All macrophyte assessment systems include:

-  taxonomic composition metrics, mostly expressed as trophic score(IT, FR) or cover of eutrophication indicator taxa (ES)

-  abundance metrics, mostly expressed as maximum colonization depth (IT) or overall abundance (FR) or total coverage (ES)

Macrophytes
Taxonomic composition / Abundance
France / IBML (French Macrophyte Index for Lakes) based on species composition (trophic level indicating species and stenoecy coefficient). / IBML (French Macrophyte Index for Lakes) based overall macrophyte abundance
Combination rule: IBML is a composite index based on relative abundance of the selected indicator taxa
Spain / Hidromorphological pressures
-  Presence/absence of hydrophytes
-  Species richness of macrophytes*
Eutrophication pressures
-  Total coverage of eutrophication indicator species
Introduction of exotic species
-  Total coverage of exotic macrophytes species / Hidromorphological pressures
-  Total coverage of hydrophytes*
-  Total coverage of helophytes*
-  Total coverage of macrophytes
Eutrophication pressures
-  Total coverage of eutrophication indicator species
Introduction of exotic species
-  Total coverage of exotic macrophytes species
Combination rules for metrics for hydromorphological pressures: Average of the normalized EQR
Combination rules of the there modules: One out, all out (worst value of the assessment according to each module is selected as final result)
Italy / Trophic score
Dissimilarity index / Vegetation limit Z-cmax
Percent of littoral covered by macrophytes
Combination rule: Assessment result = average of these three metrics
Other two metrics used as limits of application of the index: Percent frequencies of submerged species and of exotic species

Sampling and data processing

Member State / Sampling device / Surveyed compartment/
Habitat / ecotope / Abundance scales
FR / a rake (with a scaled handle) or a grapnel (with a scaled rope) are used according to the depth. Bathyscope, Secchi disc and GPS device are also used / The macrophytes are sampled on observation units (1 section of shore and 3 perpendicular profiles). These observation units are located by applying the Jensen’s method (geometric positioning) and selected according the description of the shore such that the main types of riparian zone around the lake are represented. / Relative abundance in 5 class scale
Italy / Grapnel, rake,
underwater camera / Macrophytes sampling is made through perpendicular transects from the shore to the end of the vegetated area, in each depth interval (0-1m, 1-2m, 2-3m, etc.) / number of presence of species at any sampling point; in the lakes: weighted-mean abundance of each transect for lake perimeter
Spain / Bathiscope, if not possible, rake and grapnel / Distinguish two kinds of sampling points:
- Helophytes sampling points which extend from the shore to 3 m outwards are selected in an equidistantly way along the whole lake perimeter.
- Hydrophytes sampling points which are selected according to the lake depth. In those lakes included in the IC lake type, the extension of sampling units include from the shore to 2 m depth.

National reference conditions

Table summarizes the methodology used to derive the reference conditions Based on the information, the GIG considers that all methods are compliant with respect to macrophytes.

France / Reference conditions of the IBML are established according to the median value in reference sites and expert knowledge
Italy / Table 2: Reference: Median of values of parameters used in the metrics from real reference sites.
Table 3: Reference conditions are established according to expert knowledge and historical data
Spain / Reference conditions are established basically according to expert judgment. Nevertheless, the available data which have not been obtained according to sampling protocol are also taken into account

National boundary setting

Table : overview of the methodology used to derive ecological class boundaries

Based on the information, the GIG considers that all methods are compliant with respect to macrophytes

France / H/G boundaries determined as 75th percentile from the distribution of reference lakes s, other boundaries: equidistant division of continuum
Italy / Table 2: Boundary setting: H/G boundary was calculated as 95th percentile reference sites. The other class boundaries were derived using equidistant class widths on a log scale.
Table 3 : using discontinuities in the relationship of anthropogenic pressure and the biological response).
Spain / The determinant criterion was the expert judgment because the lack of data obtained according to sampling protocol. Nevertheless, percentiles of the available data in reference sites have been considered

2. Results of WFD compliance checking

The table below lists the criteria from the IC guidance and compliance checking conclusions

Compliance criteria / Compliance checking conclusions
1.  Ecological status is classified by one of five classes (high, good, moderate, poor and bad). / France: Yes, Spain: Yes, Italy: Yes
2.  High, good and moderate ecological status are set in line with the WFD’s normative definitions (Boundary setting procedure) / Yes, see table above (contradictory information for Italy)
3.  All relevant parameters indicative of the biological quality element are covered (see Table 1 in the IC Guidance). A combination rule to combine parameter assessment into BQE assessment has to be defined. If parameters are missing, Member States need to demonstrate that the method is sufficiently indicative of the status of the QE as a whole. / France:
Phytobenthos component is under development
Taxomic composition and abundance
IBML is a composite index based on the relative abundance of the selected indicator taxa
Italy:
-  Phytobenthos component is not taken into account
-  Macrophytes component is considered as a representative of the whole BQE
Abundance
-  Maximum depth colonization,
-  Percent of littoral covered by macrophytes
Taxonomic compostion
-  Percentage of frequency of submerged species
-  Percentage of frequency of exotic macrophytes species
-  Taxa trophic score index
Spain:
-  Phytobenthos component is not taken into account
-  Macrophytes component is considered as a representative of the whole BQE
Abundance:
-  Total coverage of hydrophytes
-  Total coverage of helophytes
-  Total coverage of macrophytes
Taxonomic composition:
-  Presence/absence of hydrophytes
-  Species richness of macrophytes
-  Total coverage of eutrophication indicator species
-  Total coverage of exotic macrophytes species
Italy and Spain has considered Macrophytes as a representative of the whole Biological Quality Element, because this component could assess not only the eutrophication pressure like Phytobenthos, but the other pressures which affect to this Quality Element: hydromorfophological pressures, introduction of exotic species of macrophytes and the general degradation.
4.  Assessment is adapted to intercalibration common types that are defined in line with the typological requirements of the WFD Annex II and approved by WG ECOSTAT / France: Yes, Spain: Yes, Italy: Yes
5.  The water body is assessed against type-specific near-natural reference conditions / Yes, see table above (contradictory information for Italy)
6.  Assessment results are expressed as EQRs / France: Yes, Spain: Yes, Italy: Yes
7.  Sampling procedure allows for representative information about water body quality/ ecological status in space and time / France: Yes, Spain: Yes, Italy: Yes
8.  All data relevant for assessing the biological parameters specified in the WFD’s normative definitions are covered by the sampling procedure / All MS: Yes.
Sampling includes species composition and abundance parameters.
France: Phytobentos method is under development
Italy and Spain: Only macrophytes are considered (see Spanish justification in Annex 6).
9.  Selected taxonomic level achieves adequate confidence and precision in classification / France:
Species level excepted unicellular organisms (heterotrophs and algae excepted charophytes) at genius level
Italy:
Level of taxonomical identification up to species and groups of species.
Spain:
All the groups of species: vascular species, charophytes, bryophytes and filamentous algae are determined up to a species level.

The main conclusion of the compliance checking is that national macrophytes assessment methods meet WFD requirements.

Macrophytes and phytobenthos

Only the criterion “All relevant parameters indicative of the biological quality element are covered” could not to be fulfilled by the national assessment methods because

·  Italy and Spain do not consider the component Phytobenthos,

·  Phytobenthos method for lakes in France is under development.

Instead of this, the component Macrophytes has been selected as a representative of the whole BQE because it responds to all pressures affecting the BQE - not only the eutrophication pressure (it is the case of Phytobenthos) but also the other pressures like the hydromorphological pressure, general degradation and the introduction of macrophytes exotic species. This question has already been adequately justified by Spain (Annex 6). Respect to the macrophytes component, all national macrophytes assessment methods meets the compliance criteria.

Selection of lake zones

Other question to take into account it is the differences between national assessment methods respect to the selection of lake zones that are representative of macrophytes distribution in the whole lake.

In case of the Spanish protocol the selection of sampling points is focused in those lake zones which are the most representative for the assessment of the hydromorphological pressures (eutrophication pressure and introduction of exotic macrophytes species are also assessed):

- Hydrophytes: from the shore to 2m depth

- Helophytes: from the shore to 3m outwards

Nevertheless, the Spanish sampling protocol considers the sampling of hydrophytes below 2m depth through the use of viewfinder and in this case only the identification of new hydrophytes taxa is made but not the estimation of their abundance. Respect to this subject, Spanish protocol tries to avoid the extraction of macrophytes specimen through dredges and rakes because most of the Spanish lakes are very small and located in protected areas.

In case of Italian and French protocols the selection of sampling points is focused in the assessment of eutrophication pressure (FR: plus general degradation) and the macrophytes samplings extend up to end of vegetated area (Italy) or to the deep limit of the euphotic zone (France). Italian assessment method only assesses the eutrophication pressure (secondly the introduction of exotic macrophytes) and according to the information hydromorphological pressures assessment is going to be implemented. French assessment method is focused in eutrophication pressure (+ general degradation) but also morphological modifications of the shore are considered in the selection of the sampling units and in the final calculation of IBML index.

3. Results IC Feasibility checking

Typology

Intercalibration feasible in terms of typology (but with some concerns, see below) - all assessment methods are appropriate for the common type

Description of MED GIG common IC types for macrophytes

Common IC type / Type characteristics / MS sharing IC common type
IC type 1
Lowland or mid altitude, shallow, calcareous / Altitude: < 1000 msnm
Max depth: > 3 m
Alkalinity: > 1 meq/l
Temporality: Permanent / Cyprus - no
Greece - yes
France - yes
Italy -yes
Portugal - no
Romania - no
Spain - yes

Feasibility of MS methods for IC types

Method / Appropriate for IC types / Remarks
French macrophytes assessment method / Yes / The extension of French and Italian assessment method to the lakes located in the other MS could be risky, because the development of the French assessment method was made according to data which come from lakes located not only in the Mediterranean region but also in others like Central (FR method) and Alpine (IT method)
Italian macrophytes assessment method / Yes
Spanish macrophytes assessment method / Yes / The extension of Spanish assessment method to the lakes located in the other MS could be risky, because the development of the Spanish assessment method was made according to lakes that are ecologically very different from others of the same type in the other MS

Conclusion

Is the Intercalibration feasible in terms of typology?

The only IC lake type which has been defined in the LM GIG is very general “Lowland or mid altitude, shallow, calcareous” and includes lakes with important ecological differences which make difficult the intercalibration. For this reason, the application of national assessment methods to lakes located in the other MS of the Mediterranean countries could be risky. Respect to this subject, an important question to be considered is that the taxa and coefficient scores, reference conditions and ecological class boundaries established by French and Italian assessment method are based on the data of the other lakes located not in the Mediterranean region but in other geographical regions like the Central and Alpine.

Respect to typology, an important question to take into account is that there are a lot of natural lakes belonging to Mediterranean MS which are not included in the natural lake IC type because of their important ecological differences. These natural lakes are grouping in the following major natural lake types:

-  Portuguese volcanic lakes (located in Azores island)

-  Mountain Spanish lakes (at the begging of the intercalibration the possibility to include these lake in the Alpine Lake GIG was assessed, but it was ruled out because of the meaningful ecological differences)

-  Continental Spanish lakes (these water bodies are more wetlands than truly lakes)

-  Coast Spanish lakes (these water bodies are more wetlands than truly lakes).

-  Salt Cypriot lakes (Cyprus has decided not to use the Biological Quality Elements defined by WFD for the assessment of these lakes because their seasonal variability in the conductivity regime).

It was considered the possibility to define an IC type called “Temporal saline lake type” which included lakes belong to Spain and Cyprus but this possibility was ruled out.

The possibility to define a common volcanic lake type was considered for Italy and Portugal but this possibility was ruled out due to the important ecological differences between the Italian and the Portuguese lakes