Title:
Review of coastal water bodies of the Republic of Cyprus and their monitoring programs, based on the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)

Duration:
1 year (September 2023 – November 2024)

Partners:
I.A.CO Environmental & Water Consultants Ltd.

Funded by:
National Resources through Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR)

Project Description:

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC) was harmonized into national legislation of the Republic of Cyprus in 2004 with “The Protection and Management of Water Law” (Law 13(Ι)/2004) and relevant Regulations. The Water Development Department (WDD) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus is the Competent Authority for the implementation of the River Basin Management Plans (RBMP).

Within WFD implementation, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR), amongst others, carries out a continuous monitoring program for the integrated implementation of the WFD on coastal waters of Cyprus. This includes the assessment of ecological status of coastal waters through the biotic elements of phytoplankton (Chlorophyll-a), macroalgae, benthic macrofauna and seagrasses (Posidonia oceanica) in specific stations around the coasts of Cyprus, as well as the collection of physicochemical data of the water column. It also includes the assessment of chemical status of coastal and national waters of Cyprus, through the EQS Directive (2013/39/EC) on seawater, sediment, and fish samples in specific stations around the coasts of Cyprus.

The overall objective of this project is the review of the coastal water bodies of Cyprus and the relative monitoring programs based on the Water Framework (2000/60/ΕΚ) Guidelines. MER, in collaboration with I.A.CO will provide the following services:

  1. Review and update of the list of emissions, discharges and leaks, and their sources, in coastal waters that are regarded as priority substances under the Directive 2013/39/EU
  2. Revise and update the register of protected areas in Cyprus
  3. Review the characteristics of the different coastal water bodies in Cyprus (identification, typology, geography)
  4. Collect water and benthic samples across at least 60 locations along the coasts of Cyprus
  5. Review the delimitation of coastal water boundaries of the river basin
  6. Review all the anthropogenic pressures and impacts on the coastal waters of Cyprus and at individual water bodies
  7. Create a methodology to produce threshold values for each pressure that would result in the deterioration of the water status in a coastal water body
  8. Classify the water status of each water body
  9. Review and update the classification of Highly Modified Water Bodies (HMWB) in coastal waters
  10. Review and update a Monitoring Program for all coastal bodies for authorities to follow