International Water Quality Guidelines for Aquatic Ecosystems

Objectives, Purpose and Scope of the Guidelines

The aim of this initiative is to develop a set of scientifically-sound policy and regulatory guidelines, enabling transnational, national, regional and local authorities to improve the sustainable management of their water resources and aquatic ecosystems. These guidelines are intended to be global in scope and relevance, although a strong focus will be in assisting developing countries in their efforts toward improved protection of their aquatic resource base. Therefore primary emphasis will be given to the environmental, hydrological and climatic factors, as well as to the potential water uses, prevalent in these countries.

The Guidelines should make explicit use of available reference documents (like the EU Water Framework Directive, the Ramsar Convention, and any existing national standards and regulatory frameworks) and data, building upon the scoping study supporting this initiative. However the simple transfer of these results and recommendations into unchartered geographical locations is not envisioned. Rather, the objective would be to define regionally-relevant conditions that will support the formation of locally-relevant laws and regulations.

While water quality related problems threaten the health and functionality of aquatic ecosystems, these guidelines are not restricted to chemical, biological and biodiversity related aspects. Water quantity, its adequate spatial availability and especially its temporal distribution, and maintenance of minimum environmental flows, are critical factors co-determining the health of aquatic ecosystems and their potential to provide and support essential ecosystem processes and services.

These Guidelines are aimed to be based on sound scientific evidence and to have global scope. While both attributes are essential, they also imply certain limitations. Guidelines for standard setting can be considered as well founded scientific advice. As such they are not a substitute for proper standards to be established and enforced by sovereign state authorities or by intergovernmental bodies (like EU) or through international conventions to be observed within their respective jurisdictions, according to implementation time schedules formulated by the same authorities and/or their political organs.

Standard setting includes value judgments and assignment of certain functions (utilitarian or/and natural ones) to specific water bodies and water courses. We may speak about a “vision” to be achieved. These ”visions” translate into water quality and quantity attributes for respective set of streams, lakes and/or wetlands, or even artificial water bodies (impoundments). This standard setting is a multi-stakeholder decision making process within a given socioeconomic and political context.

Neither the scientific community nor the intergovernmental (UN) agencies are mandated to develop this ”vision”. Instead, governments (at all scales) and other stakeholders who are legitimate custodians and users of aquatic resources within their respective jurisdictions must agree on a set of standards and objectives for these waters at the national level. Nevertheless, the scientific community and the intergovernmental agencies can provide information and guidance to this process to ensure the promulgation of scientifically-sound and regionally relevant laws and regulations.

While developing the guidelines, these “stakeholder visions” will not universally be known. Therefore they will be substituted by alternative “model visions” assuming certain water uses or ecosystem categories. These “model visions” will be based upon documented conditions, scientific reports, and local knowledge.

Identification of both the “stakeholder visions” and ”model visions” involve determining which sustainable uses are expected to be secured. Thus, these visions implicitly reflect the choice of water quality and quantity indicators and their suggested respective threshold values.

The Guidelines will recommend both associated indicators and corresponding threshold values thereof. Threshold setting is acknowledged as a potentially controversial exercise. Thresholds, their definitions and numerical values are frequently the subject of scientific debate. Due to their implications for economic activities and consequences for potential remedial actions they also may be part of a broader societal debate. Hence, the Guidelines are intended to serve as the basis for setting national standards, but will be non-binding in nature. Their application, integration and enforcement will be subject to the authorities of existing national legislations and regulations.

Although the guidelines are global in scope, different spatial scales and ecosystem levels may need to be utilized to define regionally-relevant thresholds. However, due to limited baseline data about the health and functioning of ecosystems, and due to the lack of, or sparse, monitoring networks in some remote areas in some regions, it is expected that some recommendations may have to be based on scientific estimates, rather than on observational data. In this context, it is also expected that the Guidelines will identify the need for more comprehensive monitoring programmes and further research.