Pressures and risks on protected areas

With the exception of Drinking Water Protected Areas, those objectives are derived from the European legislation under which the area is designated.

Recreational protected areas

For recreational protected areas we used monitoring data from 2008 to assess compliance with the Bathing Water Directive.  We also predicted the compliance against the revised Bathing Water Directive.  For economically significant species we used monitoring data from 2008 to assess compliance with the shellfish Water Directive and Freshwater Fish Directive.

Nutrient sensitive protected areas

Nutrient sensitive protected areas include areas covered by the Nitrates Directive and sensitive areas under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD).  These Directives do not use a standard-based compliance regime for the areas designated under them.  Compliance is therefore not monitored against an environmental standard, as in the Freshwater Fish Directive, for example.  Rather compliance is measured by the appropriate designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) and the undertaking of action programmes to reduce or prevent further pollution caused by nitrates; and by the appropriate designation of Sensitive Areas and monitoring relevent discharges affecting these Areas to ensure they meet the emission standards set out in the Directive.  Compliance for relevant discharges affecting UWWTD Sensitive Areas has been assessed using the relevant monitoring data from 2008.

Water dependent habitats and species

Water dependent habitats and species protected areas were assessed using data from Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales on the conservation status of the areas.

Drinking water protected areas

Drinking water protected areas were risk assessed according to the methods shown in the links below

Results of monitoring statistics

• Statistics - Bathing Water Directive compliance data (Excel 16KB)
• Statistics - Freshwater Fish Directive compliance data (Excel 15KB)
• Statistics - Shellfish Waters Directive compliance data (Excel 14KB)
• Statistics - Groundwater DrWPA compliance data (Excel 14KB)
• Statistics - Natura 2000 Favourable conservation status data (Excel 14KB)
• Statistics - Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive compliance data (Excel 14KB)

Results of monitoring maps

• Map: Bathing Water Directive compliance (PDF 124KB)
• Map: Freshwater fish and shellfish waters compliance (PDF 264KB)
• Map: Groundwater Drinking water protected area compliance (PDF 154KB)
• Map: Groundwater Drinking water protected area risk (PDF 192KB)
• Map: Revised Bathing water directive compliance (PDF 129KB)
• Map: Special Area of conservation condition (PDF 142KB)
• Map: Special Protection Area condition (PDF 118KB)
• Map: Surface water drinking water Protected Area risk (PDF 114KB)
• Map: Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive compliance (PDF 120KB)

Method

More details on the methods for assessing compliance are in Annex D of the River Basin Management Plans.