Landscape: Kyiv, Dnipro river, Ukraine © OIEau

The objective of the workshop is to provide support to the beneficiary countries to understand and implement the EU-Water Framework Directive on the ecological classification of surface water bodies.

Two-day workshop for the three countries 

The workshop, which runs from 3 to 4 December 2019, is held in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is attended by representatives from Ukraine (Іnstitute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Science, Central Geophysical Observatory of the Hydrometeorolodical Center), Republic of Moldova (National Environment Agency) and Belarus (Hydromet).

What is ecological classification of surface water bodies?

According to the European Environment Agency, ecological classification of water bodies is “[…]an assessment of the quality of the structure and functioning of surface water ecosystems. It shows the influence of pressures (e.g. pollution and habitat degradation) on the identified quality elements.”

Ecological status is determined for each of the surface water bodies, based on biological quality indicators (phytoplankton, macrophytes and phytobentos) and supported by physico-chemical and hydromorphological quality pointers.

Biological elements are the basis for ecological classification because they are bioindicators, which mean they indicate the status of a water body. Other supportive elements for the classification of ecological status are hydromorphological elements (continuity for rivers, hydrology and morphology) and more classic chemical and physicochemical elements.

Five main topics covered

Participants in the workshop:

• overviewed the status quo regarding data collection and data analysis (Access database)
• discussed the example of deriving reference conditions
• overviewed existing classification methods in the EUWI+ countries (metrics, indices, combination)
• discussed proposals for new monitoring sites (surveillance, operational), as part of the monitoring development plans
• discussed types of classification of Surface Water Bodies, based on existing data, grouping and expertise.