Transcript Document
ETC on Terrestrial Environment and its contribution to the EEA workprogram
Martha Wepner
Federal Environment Agency Austria European Topic Centre on Terrestrial Environment SOIL WORKSHOP for Balkan Countries Belgrade, 29-30 September 2003
OUTLINE
• What are ETCs?
– Objectives – Structure • ETC/TE – Planned activities • Integrated assessment (policy making; EEA reports) • Indicators, data flows and databases • Additional Support to EU/International Policy frameworks • Reporting
EUROPEAN TOPIC CENTRES (ETC)
• Work under contract to EEA • Deliver reports, databases, networks • Improve comparability of data • Advise on plugging data gaps • Support DG ENV on Implementation • Represent EEA in various forums
OBJECTIVES of ETCs
• To provide policy relevant information on
past trends
,
current state
and
prospective
development (of land and soil) in Europe.
OBJECTIVES of ETCs
• To provide policy relevant information on
past trends
,
current state
and
prospective
development (of land and soil) in Europe.
• To support legislative frameworks
OBJECTIVES of ETCs
• To provide policy relevant information on
past trends
,
current state
and
prospective
development (of land and soil) in Europe • To support legislative frameworks on • To support EEA enlargement
STRUCTURE of ETCs
• Consortia with one leading institution • 5 ETCs – ETC/TE – ETC/W – ETC/ACC – ETC/WMF – ETC/NPB
ETC on Terrestrial Environment
• Priority areas – Soil degradation (soil contamination, soil sealing, soil erosion) – Land use – Urban environment – Coastal environment
STRUCTURE
BACKGROUND
Marine and Coastal Environment Soil Land Cover Terrestrial Environment
Policy needs 6EAP + SDS / EEA reporting needs
Territorial Dimension
ETC TE topic
databases
EIONET CLC 2000 Coastal units Soil
TERRIS
Eurostat GISCO JRC ...
Other ETCs Core set of TE
indicators Integrated Environmental Assessment Reporting
INDICATORS CONCEPT
• Integration in sector policies – Agriculture – Transport – Tourism – Spatial planning • Spatial dimension – Vertical: European, national, regional level – Horizontal: Geographical units
ETC/TE INDICATORS
TERRITORIAL INDICATORS • Fragmentation of land • Landscape diversity • Pressures (protected sites, agriculture,...)
THEMATIC
SOIL • Soil contamination • Soil sealing • Soil erosion URBAN • Urban sprawl • Green urban areas
REGIONAL
COASTAL ZONES • Coastal integrity (quality) • Coastal erosion • Tourism and spatial impact • ICZM plans
ETC/TE INDICATORS – SOIL ISSUES
• Local soil contamination – Contamination from point sources (waste disposal, industrial activities, mining sites, military sites, accidents, etc.) • Diffuse soil contamination – Contaminants transported over wide areas (including heavy metals, acidification, nutrients surplus – eutrophication, etc.) • Soil sealing – Covering of soil due to urbanisation, infrastacture construction
ETC/TE INDICATORS
DPSIR Framework applied to local soil contamination • increasing waste generation • inappropriate disposal techniques • increasing amount of hazardous waste • extensive use of hazardous substances in industry • careless use of toxic substances • accidents, war-damages • impairment of drinking water supply in densely populated regions
D
riving Forces
R
esponses • activities as regards risk reduction • fund raising, taxes • restrictions on land use • emissions to ground-/ surface water • production of explosive gases • soil contamination
P
ressures
I
mpact threat to human health by • contaminated drinking water • direct contact with contaminants • explosions of landfill gases • uptake of pollutants • drinking water supply threat to ecosystems
S
tate • existence of brownfields • pollutants in soil, sediments and plants • ground-/ surface water pollution • local contamination of explosive gases
Kiev 2003
ETC/TE INDICATORS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Short term Long term
Definition of core set EEA Env Signals Snapshot 2003 Report on ‘State of European Soils’ 2004 EU State and Outlook Report 2005 EIONET Workshops (March 2002, May 2003) Regular update/appraisal TE core set
INTEGRATED ENVIRONEMNTAL ASSESSMENT
To provide in depth support to specific policy areas identified as priority at EC level, specificaly on the “Soil Thematic Strategy” – 5 Technical working groups • TWG Monitoring • TWG Contamination • TWG Erosion • TWG Research • TWG Organic Matter => Draft Soil Monitoring Directive mid 2004 => Communication on Soil Contamination
LOCAL SOIL CONTAMINATION ASSESSMENT
REPORTS
• Environmental Signals (yearly report) • The pan-European indicator-based report “Kiev 2003”, to support the UN-ECE Ministerial Conference ‘Environment for Europe’, Kiev, Winter 2003 • Transport and environment report 2002 (TERM) • State of European Soils 2004 • Report on Environmental and Technological Accidents October 2003 • EU 2005 State and Outlook Report