Description
WG 2 will provide an overview of actions for the long-term reduction of blooms by reducing the inflow of nutrients. Activities to reduce nutrient (P and N) losses from fields vary considerably between European countries from non-existent to control by measuring remaining saturation in the soil (e.g., to remunerate farmers’ efforts). Also, the reduction of nutrient losses from point sources (e.g., sewage treatment plants, industries, townships, cities) varies among countries. Moreover, most remedial actions come along with financial costs that have to be borne by governmental or private organizations or stakeholders, which adds to the pressure to be cost-effective. Costs can be directly involved in construction or amendment (e.g., wastewater treatment, diverting channels) or indirectly by compensating farmers for their efforts (investments in surface cover, lower harvest yields). As this is handled very differently in the participating countries, mutual inspiration can be expected. The outcome of this WG will be a toolbox of available methods and strategies to analyze nutrient losses and methods to reduce these losses with an evaluation of their mitigation capacity and included costs. A Decision Support Tool will be developed with this input to target farmers and financing stakeholders.
Tasks
2.1. Development of a toolbox with available methods and strategies to assess nutrient losses from agricultural land, forestry and point sources (web-based).
2.2. Development of a database with information on the actions taken and their effectiveness in reducing nutrient losses from the catchment, including diffuse and point sources at different scales, from local to EU. Selection of operational monitoring parameters.
2.3 Generation of a database with costs and economic losses caused by cyanobacteria and actions taken to combat them.
2.4 Summarizing the comparison of the actions taken in various countries in a review and vulgarisation and dissemination of the results to farmers and stakeholders
Activities
2.1. Workshops with stakeholders (farmers, water managers, policy makers, etc.) on methods and their implementation costs to successfully reduce nutrient loss from farmland and point sources. STSMs and conference grants, especially for ECI researchers from ITCs on ecosystem management.
2.2. Distribution of information on existing strategies and possibilities at the national or European level for compensation to farmers for their efforts.
2.3 Assembling information from national water authorities on current cyanobacteria-related activities and associated financial costs/losses. Questionaires/interviews of water users (recreation, fishing) assessing the value they allocate to benefit from clean water.
2.4. Organizing editorial meetings for the development of the database on different actions and their effectiveness, the compensation possibilities, and writing of a review.