Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) of UK Standing Waters

CEH's Scottish Freshwater Ecosystems group has been responsible for leading a CEH research consortium in developing and implementing methods for the Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) of standing waters over the period 2003-2005. The UK conservation agencies have a statutory requirement to assess whether notified features are in favourable or unfavourable condition in all designated standing water sites, i.e. Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Ramsar* sites. “Favourable condition” describes a target set of conditions under which a specified feature is likely to maintain or improve its status.

In the first phase of the project in 2003 we developed methods using aquatic macrophytes that would allow the conservation agencies to reliably assess habitat and vascular plant features within standing freshwater sites. Objective, repeatable and quantifiable data (i.e. point frequency sampling not percentage cover) was required. The methods also needed to be practical, cost effective and flexible in response to different macrophyte communities, substrate types and accessibility. Separate methodologies were developed for different habitats: deep-water and shallow-water species features. We also produced guidance on how to use the resulting data in condition assessments and how to combine information derived from chemical and physical factors in lakes with the plant data to produce a more comprehensive assessment of a lake’s condition. As a result it is now possible to make an informed judgement as to whether habitats and aquatic macrophytes within these waters are in favourable or unfavourable condition. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) subsequently adopted the recommended CEH methods for the baseline monitoring of UK designated standing water sites. These methods have now also been adopted as the basis for the Water Framework Directive aquatic macrophyte monitoring in the UK by the environmental regulatory agencies, e.g. the Environment Agency.

The second phase of the Site Condition Monitoring for Standing Waters project involved the baseline monitoring of 238 Scottish standing water habitat and aquatic vascular plant features using the methods developed in the first phase of the project. Over 200 representative Scottish standing waters were surveyed in the summer of 2004. Recommendations on the condition category of each habitat and aquatic plant feature examined were then made based primarily on the resulting aquatic macrophyte survey data although the condition assessment did incorporate non-macrophyte attribute information, e.g. water quality data. The results of this large-scale survey campaign will now form the basis for assigning current condition categories to designated standing water sites in Scotland and allow comparisons in future years.

The 2004 SCM data set is already being utilised by the closely related LEAFPACS and REBECCA projects. Future analysis of the SCM results may include investigating whether the Scottish loch flora has changed since previous aquatic macrophyte surveys. For example, can we interpret any underlying patterns, e.g. nutrients, climate change, from the species changes and their plant attributes? Other potential projects include looking at comparing the species richness of the SCM targeted surveys with that of more extensive loch surveys.

*Signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971 The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.