Special Sessions
In addition to Themes A to J (see webpage Themes and Topics) it also possible to submit abstracts to two Special sessions: S1 and S2. A Special session gives a possibility to prominently discuss/present an issue that strictly speaking would not fit (fully) in either of the Themes A to J.
Session S1. ‘Finding solutions for a good ecological and chemical quality in freshwater and marine water bodies in the Baltic Sea, North Sea and Irish Sea regions’.
The three Horizon Zero pollution EU sister projects: 1) NEW-HAMONICA: https://newharmonica.eu/; coordinated by Gerard Velthof, Wageningen University and Research, NL; 2) NAPSEA: https://napsea.eu/; Coordinated by Luuk van der Heijden and Anouk Blauw, Deltares, NL; 3) NORDBALT-ECOSAFE: https://projects.au.dk/nordbalt-ecosafe; Coordinated by Brian Kronvang, Aarhus University, DK will host a special session that involves urgent questions to be solved for the Water Framework Directive, Nitrates Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The three projects aim to develop new standards for setting safe ecological boundaries in water bodies and developing novel nutrient regulations using models, mitigation and policy tools and governance schemes.
The special session will cover the following aspects of the three sister projects:
- What are the nutrient boundaries between good and moderate ecological conditions in different types of surface water bodies?
- Can we correctly model nutrient concentrations, loadings, and sources in river basins?
- How can we meet the nutrient boundaries choosing the regional Best Management Practices, Mitigation Measures and Nature based Solutions (NbS)?
- How to choose among governance methods for implementing mitigation measures and NBSs with inclusion of examples from the NORDIC-BALTIC region?
This special session will share the main results from the three projects through short presentations focusing on main project outcomes. Moreover, we will invite for a longer plenary discussion in the special session about the shared outcomes of the three projects (policy brief) with gathering of feedbacks from the audience through a virtual discussion.
Session S2. Special Session on the Water Framework Directive: challenges and pathways towards 2027.
Reducing pressures from agriculture on water quality has proven to be a multifaceted challenge in the last decades. Next to technical challenges related to the identification of issues, development of measures, monitoring and modelling, this challenge also encompasses legal and social-economic aspects. With the due date of 2027 for meeting the Water Framework Directive (WFD) objectives, countries in the EU are facing a challenge to achieve this ambition in time.
A recent study regarding the Netherlands shows that an important problem is that stakeholders, also within organizations, have different views on ambitions, achievements and necessary follow up actions in case policy measures have too little effects on water quality. This is problematic because for realizing the water quality ambitions, cross-sectoral cooperation (e.g. from agriculture and spatial development) as well as strengthened interlinkages between these related policy fields is crucial. Moreover, there is a tendency to stick to the status quo. In order to increase effectiveness, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for this lock-in will be necessary. This will enable the development of practical tools and instruments to support cross-sectoral and multi-level collaboration.
The sectoral implementation of the WFD in the Netherlands was chosen by many other member states, possibly resulting in similar cross-sectoral challenges. This special session aims to share experiences, both from a social-economic, legal and technical perspective, on how countries deal with these cross-sectoral challenges in order to develop strategies that lead to achieving WFD ambitions.