1. Could the ecosystem services framework play a role in the FD implementation?
Michael Munk Sørensen (COWI)
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

2. Development of guidance to on how to considerer Ecosystem Services in WFD and FD implementation
Objectives of the guidance
It should provide RB planners with the necessary knowledge of how the ecosystem service considerations can be applied to river basin planning.
It should be based on the implementation process of the WFD and the FD.
It's aim is to supplement the implementation process with an Ecosystem Service Approach (ESA), which will ensure that benefits and co-benefits are integrated in the analysis in a more coherent manner.
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

3. Structure of the guidelines
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

4. What are Ecosystem Services?
Provisioning services: All nutritional, material and energetic outputs from living systems.
Regulation and Maintenance services: All the ways in which living organisms can mediate or moderate the ambient environment including services that indirectly as well as directly affect human well-being.
Cultural services: All the non-material, and normally non-consumptive, outputs of ecosystems that affect physical and mental states of people.
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

5. How does the Ecosystem Services (ES) and FD interact?
2 October 2013
How does the Ecosystem Services (ES) and FD interact?
Aquatic ecosystems can provide natural flood management as an ecosystem service
WFD measures might have flood protection as co-benefit (measures that increase retention capacities)
Alternative flood mitigation measures=> different impacts on Ecosystem Service provision
Increasing retention capacity in the RB => reducing surface flow => reduce pollution inputs
Flood defences – hard engineered solutions (weirs, canalising, flood walls etc.,) => negative impacts on hydro-morphology and/or physical-chemical status
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

6. Link between ES and FD? Risk mapping FRMPs
Consider if there are ESs affected by flood events
FRMPs
Consider each FD measure and identify whether there are ESs being impacted by the measure
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

7. Guidance by ES For each key ES being identified:
Examples of indicators for quantification and how to apply them
Examples of valuations and valuation approaches and how to apply them
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

8. How to integrate the valued ES into the FRMP?
How to integrate the ES assessments into the FRMPs depend on the FRMPs are being developed
If a full CBA is used then ES assessment could aim for monetary valuations where possible
Otherwise, more qualitative assessment will be sufficient for example as part of a MCA
Assessment level of ES
Assessment level of FRMP
Qualitative
Quantitative
Monetised X
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

9. Level of accuracy for ES assessments
Levels of accuracy required depending on the final use of the valuation exercise
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

10. How to integrate the valued ES into the FRMP?
2 October 2013
How to integrate the valued ES into the FRMP?
If CBA is applied for the FRMPs:
Adjusted cost estimates for each measure with Ecosystem Service co-benefit or costs
Leading potentially to different ranking of the measures
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

11. Questions for consideration/discussion
Experience from risk assessment: Would ES approach support the identification and assessment of the effects of flooding events?
Experience from FRMPs: Are co-benefits/costs being taking into account the assessments? Would an ES approach support the systematic accounting of all co-benefit/costs?
What types of methodologies are being applied (CBA with financial or economic costs or less quantitative approaches)?
17 October 2013
WG Flood's Meeting

12. Thank you for your attention
Michael Munk Sørensen