ACTIVITY 2

Monitoring the status or the ecological potential of bodies of water to achieve joint evaluation

01. GOALS

This activity aims at implementing, as a pilot plan, the validation of the methodology and the protocols developed through Activity 1 by means of the existing networks and equipment in the Portuguese Environment Agency and the Spanish Hydrographic Confederations, in their monitoring and control programmes as well as in their databases.

02. METHODOLOGIES

On the basis of this infrastructure, the joint methodology for monitoring the status or the ecological potential of shared transitional water body types and shared river water body types developed and approved in Activity 1 will be implemented. To achieve it, the transboundary technical team will be constituted and the joint experimental programme will be implemented by the teams from both countries.

03. RESULTS

The pilot programme will consist in collecting samples and data in the particular way specified in the agreed protocols and sending pairs of samples or field data to Portugal and Spain so that each country can calculate its indices on the same information obtained.

Several campaigns were carried out in 2019, 2020 and 2021: one was completed through the sampling of biological elements (diatoms, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish) and hydromorphological elements; four were completed through physico-chemical samples in various selected bodies of water from rivers; two were completed through the sampling of phytoplankton and four through physico-chemical samples in various selected bodies of water from reservoirs; one through the sampling of biological elements (macrophytes, invertebrates and fish); two through the sampling of phytoplankton and four through physico-chemical samples in various selected bodies of water from estuaries.

At the end of the sampling campaigns, a report on the implementation of the experimental programme is drawn up for each River Basin District, and the results are sent to the Working Group for Hydrographic Planning of the CADC.

Once the sampling has been completed over the last two years, a report is drawn up containing the results of the comparative analysis of the data obtained through the different protocols and methodologies for each type of body of water and element, and the correlation between the different indices used, establishing the joint methodology for monitoring the status or the ecological potential of shared transitional water body types and shared river water body types. For heavily modified water bodies, it is necessary to establish the evaluation of the ecological potential through the development of a catalogue of mitigation measures.

Results

REPORTS

Periodic reports on the experimental monitoring programme

SOON

INDICES CORRELATION REPORT

For heavily modified water bodies, it is necessary to establish the evaluation of the ecological potential through the development of a catalogue of mitigation measures.

SOON

JOINT SPAIN-PORTUGAL WORK

Image bank of joint sampling of the Spanish and Portuguese teams.

VIEW GALLERY

A way to make Europe

Co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
through the Interreg VA Spain-Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2014-2020