Monitoring of ecosystem impacts

Article 9 of the NEC Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/2284) requires Member States to monitor the impact of air pollution on the ecosystems in their territory.

Member States need to develop and implement a monitoring system that

• identifies negative impacts of air pollution on ecosystems (acidification, eutrophication and ozone damage)
• covers a network representative of the Member State’s habitats and ecosystem types

Annex V to the Directive lists optional indicators that Member States can use for this monitoring. Every four years, Member States must report information about their monitoring sites and monitored parameters to the Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA). The first such reporting were due by 1 July 2018 and 1 July 2019 respectively.

This work on ecosystem impacts is done in cooperation, as appropriate, with the Working Group on Effects, a subsidiary body under the UNECE Air Convention. There are also synergies with the Commission work on the Biodiversity Strategy and with the monitoring done under the Water Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive.

To support this monitoring, a number of tools are available for Member States:

• Commission Guidance notice on ecosystem monitoring
• Guidance on monitoring site selection (2022)
• Reporting template - updated in 2022 for the second reporting cycle in 2022-2023

These tools have been developed in collaboration with Member States, the EEA and colleagues from the Air Convention Working Group on Effects.

• The information on the network of monitoring sites reported by Member States in 2018 and every four years after;
• The monitoring data reported by Member States in 2018 and every four years after;
• A consultants report on the 2018 national ecosystem monitoring networks and on the indicators and monitoring protocols selected by Member States for use.
• A consultants report on the 2019 national monitoring data submitted by Member States.