Wetland loss ME-8

The loss of size and function of areas of coastal fen, marsh, peat land, intertidal area or shallow water due to human activities. As in many countries this is still not appreciated as ‘loss’, a more neutral definition would be the change of ecosystem from natural or man made wetland to dry land and the impairment of the wetland's natural function.

Unit of measurement: Loss may be measured as hectare reduction of coastal wetland area per annum. Degradation in function may be measured as sum of individual cause pressures - pollution entering, over exploitation, etc.

Chapter 17: Protection of the oceans, all kinds of seas, including enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, and coastal areas and the protection, rational use and development of their living resources: No specific targets agreed .

• R amsar Convention for the Protection of Wetlands (1971) (all coastal EU member states are contracting parties at this stage and most of the acceding states) which commits contracting parties to sustainable use of wetlands, sets out designated most important sites for wintering migratory birds (Ramsar sites) and now also includes a fund to help protect the habitats.

• Biological Diversity Convention (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) - special obligation to protect wetlands and to include same when drawing up the EU strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity .

• EU Wise Use of Wetlands Communication (COM(95) 189 final): aims to protect wetlands in EU frame with significant goals such as no net loss of wetland. Followed in 1995 by a Council Public debate in which conclusions were adopted, which include acknowledgement " that it is a matter of priority to halt the disappearance and degradation of wetlands, to ensure better management and to improve and restore such areas ” (Council Press statement 4.III.96 Page 12) .

• Individual laws to protect specific habitats or species, including selected wetlands are the Habitat Directive (92/43/EEC) where many wetlands are listed in Annex 1 and examples will be found in the Natura 2000 list (NB: directive amendment in the pipeline) and the Bird Directive - 79/409/EEC) where wetland sites of international importance to birds are designated as SPAs.

Turning to control of wetland degradation, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) and the Nitrate Directive (91/676/EEC) have most pollution input control scope, while the EIA Directive (85/337/EEC) should control wetland loss to major structural development.

There are several major cross border wetland protection schemes , such as the Danube and the Dnestre deltas in the Black Sea, the Waddensea trilateral agreement in the North Sea and the Med Wet Programme for the Mediterranean, for which plans were drawn up with EU aid and management now backed by international governmental interests.

Coastal wetlands are of vital importance as spawning and nursery grounds for many marine and coastal species. Certain coastal wetlands have the highest biomass of any habitat in the world. Additionally, wetlands such as saltmarshes and reedbeds form a buffer for erosion and flooding while simultaneously acting as nutrient and pollutant sink (artificial wetlands now becoming more popular around waste water treatment plants as natural tertiary treatment.

While extensively used, traditionally most wetlands had and still have a low economic value. They were perceived as difficult to work as so changeable and often title to such areas was not clear. With modern technology it is possible to quickly and cheaply convert most wetlands into dry land. This coupled with the enormous development pressure on the European coastal zone and the public ignorance of the function of wetlands, has contributed to massive losses. It is estimated that approx. two thirds of all European wetlands existing at the beginning of this century have been lost.

In the Marine Environment & C oastal Zones policy field: the indicator overlaps with one strand of a wetland's function - priority habitat. It is related to most others - i.e. Overfishing - if spawning and nursery grounds were better protected, more fish would be available and overfishing not as critical; Eutrophication - coastal and river plane wetland nutrient sinks have been drastically reduced, leading to more nutrients getting into the marine environment; Development along the shore is displacing wetlands, tourism intensity is both helping to degrade certain sensitive wetlands near tourist hot spots and provides extra incentive to change more wetlands into more controlled, directly financially rewarding uses - houses, recreational areas, ...In some areas, waste is specially placed in wetlands as cheap disposal landfill sites and as means of reclaiming more land. Intensity of agriculture requires all year use of wetlands which would be naturally flooded in winter and application of fertiliser ..

Wetlands, where mentioned (e.g. Bird Directive) , are not necessarily defined, leading to some confusion. The Ramsar Convention defines wetlands as: areas of marsh, fen, peatland, or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static, or flowing, fresh, or salt, including marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters. However by some researchers it is understood to end at low water mark.

The main vulnerability of wetlands may be, that their functions benefit mankind as a whole in a manner not appreciated by the man in the street; while once reclaimed, individuals or a specific sector can benefit from the new controlled and channelled function of say a building site.

The now 25 year old Ramsar Convention defined the wise use of wetlands as their " human use so that they may yield the greatest continuos benefit to present generations while maintaining their potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations." The wise use aspirations have only been realised in a few specially designated sites, and even here massive loses have occurred.

While wetland loss as hectare removed from the definition of “wetland”, would appear to be a cheap easy measure which could be extracted indirectly from reclamation grants, applications for licenses etc., or directly from periodic aerial photographs or satellite imagery, there is surprisingly little internationally comparable data available. The indirect method would for example not work in a country like Ireland, where wetland reclamation above mean high water does not even require notification or permit. The second strand of monitoring for this indicator - degradation - has even less data, as generally researches have concentrated on a problem such as water abstraction, or excessive nutrient input.

This is a key pressure indicator, which if addressed by governments could make an overriding difference with progress towards sustainable development. It needs no equipment to see a loss of wetland and gross degradation. Thus the public once alerted, could act as powerful watch over the annual pressure updates.

However, at present we are lacking one agreed definition, a wetland resource inventory with clear maps showing what types of wetlands are found where and a grading of quality. Perhaps even more important there is a total lack of public understanding of the importance of wetlands and the threat level now reached. Hence use of the indicator would need to be backed by considerable public information. Rather than limitation, one could see this as challenge which is long overdue to be taken.

As wetland loss higher up in a water shed can influence the marine environment and migratory fish below, it may be advantageous not to divide this indicator into marine and land, but to cover all wetlands.