Conservation & the Environment ndly harmed by


mimicking severe drought conditions in natural running waters. They looked at all species in the river, studying the whole food chain, measuring the growth rate of the animals in all populations.


Dr Mark Ledger from the University of Birmingham’s School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and lead author of the study, said ‘We found that drought changed the make-up of the invertebrate life in the stream community and reduced its diversity by around 25%.’


Dr Ledger added many insects, such as mayflies, were severely affected by drought, as were many large predatory invertebrates, which could not escape. He continued: ’Our study demonstrates that the loss of invertebrates limits the flow of food energy through the food chain, with potentially profound consequences for the health of river ecosystems.’


’We discovered that, in particular, drought had negative effects on large bodied invertebrates, an important food source for fish, which has significant implications for fisheries.’


Co-author, Professor Alexander Milner, from the University of Birmingham, added: ‘These findings demonstrate that the future intensification of drought, similar to that seen in the UK earlier this year and ongoing in the central and midwestern states of America, can be expected to have major effects on both biodiversity and ecosystem processes in streams and rivers.’


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EC publishes new guidelines for inland waterways and nature


protection


The European Commission is issuing new guidelines on inland navigation and nature protection to assist this important sector in applying EU environmental legislation.


The guidelines – "Inland waterway transport and Natura 2000 – sustainable inland waterway development and management in


the context of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives" – explain how best to ensure that activities related to inland navigation are compatible with EU environmental policy in general and nature legislation in particular. The document also emphasizes the significance of the inland navigation for securing long-term sustainability of EU transport network and highlights the achievements of this sector in integrating nature protection into its activities to date, a press release of the European Commission informs.


Siim Kallas, Vice-President and Commissioner for Transport, said "Inland waterway transport plays an important role in the transportation of goods across many parts of Europe. This transport sector is considered to be safe, energy efficient and more environmentally friendly than other transport modes. But as it is one of many users of our rivers, it needs to be developed in an ecologically sustainable way."


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Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for Environment, hoped that the document will be "a useful tool to increase understanding between investors, planners, decision-makers and nature conservation promoters, enabling them to design sustainable navigation projects that meet the objectives of inland waterway transport while still respecting the ecological values of rivers."


The guidelines take a holistic approach to inland waterway transport and nature protection. They explain the policy context of inland navigation and biodiversity conservation in Europe. They stress that Natura 2000 sites are not designed to be ‘no development zones’ and that new developments are not excluded, provided that they guarantee a sufficient level of nature protection. The document also explains the legal obligations of infrastructure developers and managers from the point of EU environmental legislation, with a particular focus on the Birds and Habitats Directives. A number of case studies are presented, with examples of good practice showing how inland waterway development and management can go hand-in-hand with nature protection.


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The guidelines particularly emphasize the benefits of integrated planning, whereby environmental requirements are taken into consideration at every stage of infrastructure development process and the participation of different stakeholders, including NGOs and civil society, is ensured in an active and transparent manner, securing win-win solutions for both sectors.


This document is the fourth guidance document on application of EU nature legislation in the context of strategic EU sectors. Previously published guidelines concerned wind energy, non- energy mineral extraction industry and developments in ports and estuaries.


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