Broad Scale Ecosystem Assessment (BSEA) Scotland

Broad Scale Ecosystem Assessment (BSEA) Scotland
BSEA Toolbox 1

FRM02
June 2006

Background to research

Key drivers for sustainable flood management in Scotland are:

The Water Environment & Water Services (WEWS) Act 2003 requires the implementation of sustainable flood management. This is supported by Scottish Planning Policy 7, which states flood prevention/alleviation should not lead to deterioration in ecosystem status, and should seek opportunities for habitat enhancement/ creation.
The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations (CAR) 2004 requires certain activities to be regulated including engineering activities on inland surface water or in the vicinity of inland water or wetlands, and impoundments in surface waters or wetlands.
Future climate change is likely to increase the frequency of flooding. Current predictions suggest that the 1 in 50 year fluvial event could be reduced to 1 in 30 by 2080, and there may be an increase the frequency of coastal flooding with the 1 in 50 year event reduced to a 1 in 5 by 2080.

Broad Scale Ecosystem Assessment (BSEA) was developed to provide a method for
undertaking broad-scale ecosystem assessment at both the fluvial catchment scale and costal cell scale for input into flood and coastal management planning. This project (Project FRM02) builds on the existing research completed for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency in England and Wales, which is known as Broad Scale Ecosystem Assessment (BSEA): Toolbox 1.

Objectives of research

Project FRM02 was commissioned by SNIFFER to provide guidance on how to integrate and assess ecosystems at the broad-scale (fluvial catchment and coastal cell) in Scotland. The original England & Wales BSEA guidance has been refined to take into account the different legislative, statutory responsibilities and data availability in Scotland.

The FRM02 project had the following objectives:

Review the Scottish legislative and policy context, relevant research initiatives, and the physical characteristics of Scotland’s fluvial and coastal/ estuarine systems.
Develop BSEA guidance for fluvial systems.
Trial the fluvial guidance on the River Dee system as part of ongoing sustainable flood management studies, and present the conclusions and recommendations for implementing the fluvial guidance in Scotland.
Develop BSEA guidance for coastal/estuarine systems.
Present conclusions and recommendations for implementing the coastal/ estuarine guidance in Scotland.
Provide recommendations for how to implement BSEA in a wider context than sustainable flood management, particularly recommending how to integrate with WFD implementation in Scotland.
Develop appropriate tools, databases and information to support BSEA in Scotland.

Key findings and recommendations

BSEA is a new approach for identifying and assessing ecosystem opportunities, constraints, risk and consequences for both fluvial catchment and coastal cell management, which can usefully input into the adoption of sustainable flood management policies. Key aspects of BSEA include:

It is the first phase in the development of a broad-scale ecosystem assessment toolbox. It uses existing and available broad scale data, linked to intuitive application of established methods which facilitate pragmatic analysis. The guidance represents a significant step forward in the consistent use of ecosystem assessment at a catchment or coastal cell scale.
It is an ‘evidence-based’ approach, which focuses on ecosystem drivers, ecosystem function and ecosystem status. The primary output is a set of spatially-linked opportunities and constraints that seek to maintain and/or improve ecosystem function.
Outputs form the basis for policy derivation or appraisal, and are in a format that allows integration within MCA, SEA and sustainability appraisal. The BSEA framework is also consistent with the requirements for catchment-scale analysis implicit within the Water Framework Directive.
It seeks to provide the foundation for improved awareness and access to existing data. It encourages use of qualified professional judgement, which is transparent, based on a contemporary understanding of ecosystem principles and takes into consideration both risk and uncertainty.
There are currently a number of limitations to implementation of the guidance. Critically, data availability and suitability at the broad scale are limited, as is the predictive capability of models for ecosystem impact assessment. BSEA is available for use on fluvial systems, but at present cannot be implemented as part of broad-scale coastal studies in Scotland.
The guidance has been designed as a framework that must be updated as new information and methods become available. It provides a solid platform from which to take ecosystem assessment forward into the future.
The guidance is relevant for anyone managing or implementing fluvial catchment-scale or coastal cell-scale planning initiatives. It provides the vehicle for expert catchment analysis and enhanced stakeholder dialogue.
It has been successfully tested on the River Dee, as well as river and coastal systems in England (for further information see the Broad Scale Ecosystem Assessment (BSEA) Toolbox 1, R&D Technical Report FD2112/TR, March 2006 on the Defra website).

Further work is required to strengthen broad-scale ecosystem assessment, including data acquisition and interpretation methods, combined with development of better ecosystem impact models (that can integrate hydrology, geomorphology and ecosystem functioning). Specific recommendations include:

The Scottish Executive is currently developing its policy in relation to Scotland’s coast, with a focus on sustainable development. This policy moves towards a statutory framework for broad-scale coastal planning, and it is therefore recommended that data on coastal morphology, coastal flood extent, BAP priority habitats and coastal defences are collected and/or collated to allow implementation of BSEA.
The Scottish Executive is currently producing guidance for Local Authorities on implementing environmental assessment of fluvial flood risk management, and it is recommended that the indicative floodplain maps and national habitat mapping data are integrated within BSEA to strengthen its robustness as an assessment tool.
Further testing of the guidance is recommended on a wider selection of fluvial catchments to enable a broader spectrum of potential policy applications to be assessed.
BSEA can be used to integrate Water Framework Directive studies. The BSEA framework could be applied to encompass the WFD ‘pressures’, with catchment objectives integrating the WFD pressures and impacts to arrive at corresponding Programmes of Measures.
Furthermore, it is suggested that BSEA also provides a suitable framework for regulators tasked with controlling activities under CAR. BSEA could be used to: identify areas at potential risk from potential activities; develop ecosystem criteria which can be used to inform the development of appropriate activities; and assess the ecosystem consequences of individual activities or programmes of activities.

Key words: Ecosystem, Flood Risk, Broad-scale, Fluvial, Coastal/ Estuarine, Assessment, SEA

Copies of this report are available from the Foundation, in electronic format on CDRom at £20.00 + VAT or hard copy at £35 .00, less 20% to FWR members.

N.B. The report is available for download from the SNIFFER Website