Assessment of Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services in Romanian

The policy analysis focuses on assessing conceptual and operational integration (Table
no. 7).
Table 7. OPERAs report, Deliverable D 3.3, 2015
LEVEL OF
INTEGRATION
Explicit and
comprehensive
Explicit but not
comprehensive
Implicit and
comprehensive
Without specific
integration
CONCEPTUAL
Explicit recognition of all ecosystem services,
including the recognition of ecosystem services
and natural capital as underpinning elements of
human wellbeing.
Some explicit integration (e.g. some specific
ecosystem services), including some recognition
of ecosystem services and natural capital as
underpinning elements of human wellbeing.
Implicit and indirect integration, generally focus
on preventing negative impacts of a policy sector
on ecosystem services and natural capital.
No recognition (direct / indirect) of ecosystem
services and natural capital.
OPERATIONAL
Dedicated instruments exist for addressing
ecosystem services and natural capital in a
comprehensive manner within a policy area.
Some instruments exist that proactively
address / build on the understanding of
ecosystem services and natural capital within
the policy area.
No dedicated instruments exist for directly
addressing ecosystem services and natural
capital. Some aspects – mainly focusing
on avoiding negative impacts on (some)
ecosystem services - integrated into sectoral
instruments.
No instruments exist that would in any way
address ecosystem services and natural
capital.
Table no. 8 below shows the level of integration of the Ecosystem Approach according
to the OPERAs project classification:
Table 8. Level of integration of the Ecosystem Approach
into Romanian sectoral policies according to OPERAs project classification
(Monia Martini, WWF-Romania, 2015)
20
Po li cy
sec tor
Water
Na tural
Resource
Water
Eco system
Typo
lo gy
(MAES
Le vel 2)
Rivers
and lakes
Wetlands
Conceptual Integration
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) does
not explicitely mention the word “ecosystem
services”. However, the main objective of
the WFD is to secure good water quality and
quantity, which are important ecosystem
services provided by freshwater ecosystems.
At national level, neither the National River
Basins Management Plan (NRBMP) explicitely
mention the word “ecosystem services”.
The water resource is managed based on
standards including chemical, physicalchemical
and biological parameters that partly
cover structural aspects of aquatic ecosystems
but the functioning of the latter from which
depends the provision of ecosystem services,
is not explicitely analized. The maintenance
of ecosystem services is only indirectly
supported by aiming to secure good water
quality and quantity, and not directly by
implementing good ecosystem management.
Likewise, aiming to prevent negative impacts
on water ecosystems by water users helps
to protect water related ecosystem services
but a sustainable management of human
activities is not directly foreseen.
As a matter of fact, the environmental
cost included in the cost of water services
(administrative and infrastructure services
for the water sewage system and the supply
of water to users) is defined as the cost of
pollution (the cost of the environmental
damage produced as a result of loss or
degradation of water ecosystems due to
pressures produced by a water user) as well as
the cost of preventing environmental quality
degradation. No beneficiary pays principle is
applied.
Operational Integration
The financial instruments in place to cover the
needs of the NRBMP and its Program of Measures
are linked to the use of financial allocations under
the Operational Program for large infrastructure
(Programul Operational Infrastructura Mare) as well
s to the application of the contributions system for
the use of water as a resource from a quantitative
and qualitative point of view.
The contributions system includes payments,
bonifications (“bonificaţii”) and penalties, and
is part of the business model of the National
Administration Romanian Waters (Administrația
Naţionala Apele Române) having the objective to
secure the provision of the water resource both
quantitatively and qualitatively (Art.9 of the Water
Directive). On one end, the underlining principles
for the quantitative management are: cost recovery,
polluter pays, equal access to water resources,
rational use of water resources. On the other
end, the underlining principles for the qualitative
management are: cautiousness and prevention,
cost recovery, polluter pays.
The system of contributions is about water
administrative and infrastructure services;
consequently, only indirectly it recognizes the
ecosystem service of water provision.
Methods for the definition and assessment of water
ecosystem services are lacking as well as the legal
framework for their applicability.
The intervention logic of the WFD is not properly
transposed into Romanian water policy and
there are serious doubts on the method used for
assessing the ecological status of rivers: in the
First NRBMP almost 3% of national rivers were
assessed as having “high ecological status” (139
water bodies) while the Second NRBMP proposes
their downgrading to “good ecological status” with
only 1 water body being proposed with “very good
ecological status”.