The Environment Agency protects the long-term future of the water environment and maintains a balance between the water needs of society and the environment.
In order to achieve this balance it is essential that the hydroecological considerations are an integral part of Water Resource management.
We use the terms Ecohydrology and Hydroecology interchangably and both are used to mean one of two things;
- the scientific overlap between the fields of hydrology and ecology
- the impact of hydrology on ecosystems, or vice versa (Kundzewicz, 2002; Zalewski, 2002).
Key work areas that require hydro-ecological input include:
- the Environment Agency's Restoring Sustainable Abstraction (RSA) programme
- Habitats Directive Review of Consents
- Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies (CAMS)
- UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP)
- Water Framework Directive (WFD)
- the appraisal of applications for drought orders and permits.
The Environment Agency needs to monitor the water environment to:
- check water flow and water level to maintain the water environment
- check where and what damage is being done to the water environment
- predict where and why the water environment is likely to be endangered
To find out more about the Environment Agency's development and use of hydroecology, please see the links to the documents below.
