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Training Session in EU Universities Provisional schedule and practical information

Training in Ghent University - October 13-15th :

Program: PRACTICAL TRAINING: WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Practical information - Travel:

TRAVEL

Brussels International Airport -> Ghent City Center

Intercity Train (IC) 16 euros

Ghent City Center -> Ghent University

Bus/Tram 3 euros/1 hour for public transport

Ghent University -> Ghent City Center

Bus/Tram 3 euros/1 hour for public transport

Ghent City Center -> Brussels International Airport

Intercity Train (IC) 16 euros

HOUSING

Rooms available on Airbnb

Training in Girona and BOKU University – October 18-20th:

Travel Ghent -> Girona or Ghent -> Wien on October 16th or 17th

Training in Girona – October 18th-20th Training in BOKU (Wien) – October 18th-20th

Program : to be added

Program : to be added

TRAVEL

Brussels International Airport -> Barcelona International Airport

Plane (Brussels Airlines or Ryanair)

75-90 euros Brussels International Airport -> Vienna International Airport

Plane (Brussels Airlines)

50-75 euros

Barcelona International Airport -> Girona City

Train: local train + Intercity train + bus

4.10 euros + 16 euros + 19 euros

Vienna International Aiport -> BOKU University

Train 4.40 euros

HOUSING

Housing possible at Girona University Residence, close to the Science Faculty: 25

Information to be added Rooms available on Airbnb

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euros/day, small apartment with 2 single rooms and shared kitchen Rooms available on Airbnb

CONSEA 2nd in person meeting – October 23-24th (venue: Moulis):

TRAVEL

From Girona From BOKU

Girona University ->Toulouse Bus (Eurolines)

31 euros

BOKU University -> Vienna International Airport

train 4.40 euros

Vienna International Airport -> Toulouse International Airport

Plane (Brussels Airlines – 1 stop)

150 euros

Toulouse International Airport -> Toulouse City Center

Tram line (Tisseo)

1.30 euros

From Toulouse

Common transportation from Toulouse to Moulis will be organized by UPS

HOUSING

Housing in Moulis: 20 euros/person/day (meals excluded)

Training in Toulouse University: venue Moulis – October 25-27th

HOUSING

Housing in Moulis: 20 euros/person/day (meals excluded)

Moulis – Toulouse International Airport

Common transportation from Moulis to Toulouse Airport will be organized by UPS

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Annex I – Provisional schedule Girona University

Biodiversity, conservation and restoration

Coordination: Dra Anna Vila-Gispert and Dra Marta Muñoz (Department of Environmental Sciences, UdG)

1) Biodiversity assessment (18th October 2017, 10:00 to 13:00) Teacher: Dr. Dani Boix, Department of Environmental Sciences What is biodiversity? Elements of biodiversity. Convention on Biological Diversity. How many biodiversity "inhabits" the Earth? Biodiversity measures. Biodiversity as a tool for conservation and management. Biodiversity and stability. Ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. Biodiversity distribution patterns. Gradients in biodiversity. 2) Genetic resources in environmental management (18th October 2017, 15:00 to 18:00) Teacher: Dr. José Luis García Marín, Department of Biology Basic genetic principles for the description of plant and animal diversity and their current distribution. Laboratory and statistical genetic methods to assess the genetic effects of human actions in living organisms. Assessment of different strategies for conservation of genetic resources under sustainable development and climate change based on case studies. 3) Tools for Conservation Biology (19th October 2017, 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00) Teacher: Dr. Pere Pons, Department of Environmental Sciences Priorities in the conservation of biodiversity: criteria and quantitative assessment. Decision-making in conservation. International legislation for the conservation of biodiversity. Tools for in-situ conservation of biodiversity: goals, planning and techniques for habitat management. Practical classes based on case studies. 4) Management and restoration of Aquatic ecosystems (20th October 2017, from 10:00 to 19:00, field trip) Teacher: Dr. Xavier Quintana, Department of Environmental Sciences In-situ examples of management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems: the case of Empordà wetland

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Annex II – Provisional Schedule Ghent University

PRACTICAL TRAINING: WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Prof. Dr. P. Goethals Eng. Niels De Troyer Eng. Wout Van Echelpoel

Schedule:

Date & Hour Subject

06/10 1 pm – 4.00 pm F0.014 Introduction

13/10 7.30 am – 7 pm Zwalm river basin Sampling + sample processing

16/10 7.30 am – 7 pm Labs F-building Identification of macroinvertebrates

Contact: Niels De Troyer – niels.detroyer@ugent.be Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology Ghent University

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CASE STUDY

Assessment of the water quality of the Zwalm river basin

1. Sampling

1.1 Task distribution (rotating system)

Sampling location 1: Verrebeek

Artificial substrates + field protocol Group A Handnet + river profile + secchi Group B Hardness + DO field kit + multiprobe Group C Nitrite + nitrate + ammonium + orthophosphate Group D

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Sampling location 2: Zwalmbeek before wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)

Artificial substrates + field protocol Group D Handnet + river profile + secchi Group A Hardness + DO field kit + multiprobe Group B Nitrite + nitrate + ammonium + orthophosphate Group C

Sampling location 3: Zwalmbeek after wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)

Artificial substrates + field protocol Group C Handnet + river profile + secchi Group D Hardness + DO field kit + multiprobe Group A Nitrite + nitrate + ammonium + orthophosphate Group B

Sampling location 4: Boembeke molen after weir

Artificial substrates + field protocol Group B Handnet + river profile + secchi Group C Hardness + DO field kit + multiprobe Group D Nitrite + nitrate + ammonium + orthophosphate Group A

1.2 Task description

Collection of the artificial substrates (AS):

Materials: 3 buckets + lids, tape and marker, knife

Pull AS out of the water and transfer them a.s.a.p. in the buckets

1 bag per bucket

Fill buckets half with water and add some ethanol

Clearly label the buckets (and not the lids) by means of tape and marker: group number, date, sampling location and sampling method (AS)

Bring materials back to the trailer Handnet:

Materials: wading suit, handnet, bucket + lid, tape, marker

Sample downstream from AS

Sample during 5 minutes by using the kick sampling method: kick the bottom with your feet whilst walking backwards against the current. Sample all possible habitats (e.g. under stones, between vegetation, pieces of wood).

Rinse the sample from time to time in order to remove sludge

Transfer sample to bucket and add ethanol

Clean the handnet

Clearly label the bucket (and not the lid) by means of tape and marker: group number, date, sampling location and sampling method (= handnet)

Return materials to the trailer

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Measuring by means of Multi probe

Calibration of pH, EC, DO and T

Take sample in bucket

Measure pH, EC, DO and T by slowly moving back and forth perpendicular to the water surface

Chemical field kits:

Nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, orthophosphate, hardness, DO

Procedure will be explained in situ and is also given in the box

Keep materials together and don't mix kits

Transfer waste of field kits to indicated reservoir

Work precisely and pay special attention to the units Profile of the river:

Materials: tape measure, rope with nodes (per 20 cm), stone

Procedure o Fix the tape measure at both banks o Quantify the depth of the river using the rope with nodes each meter

Note the depth of the water and make a graph Field protocol:

While someone of the group is collecting the AS, the others fill in the field protocol

2. Sample processing

2.1 Handnet samples

Rinse handnet sample on a couple of sieves with decreasing mesh size

Transfer remains to a white tray

Pick out the organisms and store them in small flasks with ethanol

Label the flasks carefully with a pencil (place a labelled paper in the flasks) 2.2 Artificial substrates

Open the artificial substrates with a knife

Rinse one artificial substrate at a time on the sieve outside

Put the sieve rest into a labelled plastic pot, please be careful to separate the AS of each sampling location

Make a new AS by replacing the bricks in a new potato net, close the net with a rope

Rinse the sieve carefully between every sample, turn the sieve to remove every rest

Rinse buckets and covers! Remove labels!

Pick out the organisms in the lab and transfer them to small flasks with ethanol

Label the flasks carefully with a pencil (place a labelled paper in the flasks)

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3. Identification and data analysis

3.1 BBI (De Pauw & Vannevel, 1991)

Identify the organisms up to the given taxonomic level (see taxonomic list BBI on

Minerva).

Use table on p. 6 to determine BBI:

o Determine lowest tolerance score (TS) observed and its frequency. The BBI

value is on this row.

o Determine the total amount of different taxa > 1. The crossing with the

determined row is the BBI.

Complete the assessment based on following criteria:

3.2 MMIF (Gabriels et al., 2010)

The MMIF can be calculated with the provided excel sheet. Five metrics are used in this index:

Tolerantieklasse Aantal taxa

Indicatorgroepen

Klassefrequentie 0-1 2-5 6-10 11-15 ³ 16

1. Plecoptera ³ 2 - 7 8 9 10

Heptagoniidae 1 5 6 7 8 9

2. Trichoptera (met koker) ³ 2 - 6 7 8 9

1 5 5 6 7 8

3. Ancylidae > 2 - 5 6 7 8

Ephemeroptera 1-2 3 4 5 6 7

(excl. Heptageniidae)

4. Aphelocheirus ³ 1 3 4 5 6 7

Odonata

Gammaridae Mollusca (excl. Sphaeriidae)

5. Asellidae ³ 1 2 3 4 5 -

Hirudinea

Sphaeriidae

Hemiptera (excl. Aphelocheirus)

6. Tubificidae ³ 1 1 2 3 - -

Chironomus thummi-plumosus

7. Syrphidae-Eristalinae ³ 1 0 1 1 - -

BBI Class Assessment Colour

9-10 I Very good biological water quality Blue

7-8 II Good biological water quality Green

5-6 III Average biological water quality Yellow

3-4 IV Bad biological water quality Orange

0-2 V Very poor biological water quality Red

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Metric taxa richness

The metric taxa richness is calculated as the total number of taxa (according to the specified

levels of identification) of which one or more individuals were found in the sample.

Metric number of EPT taxa

The metric number of EPT taxa is calculated as the total number of taxa (according to the

specified levels of identification) belonging to Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and/or Trichoptera of

which one or more individuals were found in the sample.

Metric number of other sensitive taxa

The metric number of other sensitive taxa is calculated as the total number of taxa (according to

the specified levels of identification), other than the EPT taxa, with a tolerance score of six or

more. The list of tolerance scores (ranging from 10 for very intolerant to 1 for very tolerant) for

all taxa is given in Gabriels et al. (2010) and can be found on Minerva.

Metric Shannon-Wiener Index

The metric Shannon-Wiener Index is calculated using the following formula (Shannon & Weaver,

1949):

𝐻′ = −∑𝑝𝑖 ln 𝑝𝑖

𝑆

𝑖=1

With 𝑆 the taxa richness and 𝑝𝑖 the relative abundance of the ith taxon.

Metric Mean Tolerance Score

The metric mean tolerance score is calculated as the sum of the tolerance scores of taxa of

which one or more individuals were found in the sample, divided by the total number of taxa.

In order to integrate the values of the five metrics into one index, first they have to be

converted into scores of 0 to 4. Per water type criteria are set for each metric by which the value

can be converted into the corresponding score. These criteria are summarized in Gabriels et al.

(2010) per water type. The overall index for a sampling point is equal to the sum of the five

metric scores, which is a number between 0 and 20, divided by 20. This results in an EQR value

that is comprised within the interval 0-1. Finally, use following type-specific criteria to determine

the water quality:

3.3 The Prati-index (Prati et al., 1979)

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The Prati-index assesses the physical-chemical water quality by means of eight parameters:

dissolved oxygen saturation (%DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand

(BOD5), ammonium-N (NH4+-N), nitrate-N (NO3

--N), chloride (Cl-), alkyl benzene sulphonates

(ABS) and pH. There are three sub-Prati-indices that can be calculated:

Oxygen Prati index which takes only the %DO into account

Basic Prati index which combines the information of %DO, COD and NH4+-N

Full Prati index consists of all 8 variables

Each index is calculated by transforming the appropriate measured values Y to the respective

index values X (table on p. 8) after which the average is taken. Complete the assessment by

means of the following criteria:

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Training sessions in EU universities – provisional schedule Page 12 sur 16

3.4 The Dutch-Method (Beckers & Steegmans, 1979)

The index consists of three parameters: %DO, BOD5, NH4+- N

Calculate the score for each parameter with the following table:

Score %DO BOD5 (mg.L-1) NH4+- N (mg N.L-1)

1 ]90, 110] ≤ 3 ≤ 0,5

2

]70, 90]

]110, 120]

]3, 6] ]0.5, 1]

3

]50, 70]

]120, 130]

]6, 9] ]1, 2]

4

]30, 50]

]130, 150]

]9, 15] ]2, 5]

5

≤ 30

> 150

> 15 > 5

The index is the sum of all scores

Complete the assessment based on the following criteria:

Class Colour code score

1 blue ]3, 4.5]

2 green ]4.5, 7.5]

3 yellow ]7.5, 10.5]

4 orange ]10.5, 13.5]

5 red ]13.5, 15]

3.5 The LISEC-Method (Beckers & Steegmans, 1979)

The index consists of four parameters: %DO, BOD5, NH4+- N, oPO4

3-- P

Training sessions in EU universities – provisional schedule Page 13 sur 16

Calculate the score for each parameter with the table on p. 10

The index is the sum of all scores

Complete the assessment based on the following criteria:

Class Colour code SUM score Quality

1 Blue ]4, 6] Excellent, very pure

2 Green ]6, 10] Good, pure

3 Yellow ]10, 14] Moderate, doubtful

4 Orange ]14, 18] Bad, polluted

5 Red ]18, 20] Very bad, heavily polluted

Score %DO BOD5 (mg.L-1) NH4+- N (mg N.L-1) oPO4

3- P (mg P.L-1)

1 ]90, 110] ≤ 3 ≤ 0,5 ≤ 0,05

2

]70, 90]

]110, 120]

]3, 6] ]0.5, 1] ]0.05, 0.25]

3

]50, 70]

]120, 130]

]6, 9] ]1, 2] ]0.25, 0.90]

4

]30, 50]

]130, 150]

]9, 15] ]2, 5] ]0.90, 1.50]

5

≤ 30

> 150

> 15 > 5 > 1.50

4 Report

This will be communicated via Minerva. Deadline submission report = 7/04/2017.

5 References

Beckers, B. & Steegmans, R. (1979). De kwaliteit van de oppervlaktewateren in Limburg.

De Pauw, N., & Vannevel, R. (n.d.). Macroinvertebraten en waterkwaliteit. Determineersleutels van macroinvertebraten en beoordelingsmethoden van de waterkwaliteit. Stichting Leefmilieu, Antwerpen, 1991, Dossier nr. 11,316 p. (1ste en 2de druk).

Training sessions in EU universities – provisional schedule Page 14 sur 16

Gabriels W, Lock K, De Pauw N & Goethals PLM (2010). Multimetric Macroinvertebrate Index Flanders (MMIF) for biological assessment of rivers and lakes in Flanders (Belgium). Limnologica. Prati, L., Pavanello, R. & Pesarin, F., (1971), Assessment of surface water quality by a single index of pollution, Journal of Water Resources, 5, pp 74. Shannon, C.E. & Weaver, W. (1949). The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois, USA. 117 p.

Training sessions in EU universities – provisional schedule Page 15 sur 16

Annex III – Provisional Schedule UT3-PS

- Dr Simon Blanchet (CNRS researcher, Station d'Ecologie Theorique et Expérimentale (SETE) : Evolutionary Applications: Theory and Practice (1 day)

- Dr Loïc Tudesque (CNRS, EDB lab) : The use of algae for monitoring rivers and lakes - with a focus on diatoms – (1 day)

- Ass. Prof. Monique BURRUS, Nathalie Escaravage and Laurent Pelozuelo. Biodiversity conservation (still wait fot the exact title).

- Prof. Sovan Lek. Sampling methodology for Biodiversity conservation.

Training sessions in EU universities – provisional schedule Page 16 sur 16

Annex III – Provisional Schedule BOKU

Day Date Time Excursion programme BOKU staff Non-BOKU staff

Day 1 17/10/2017

depending on arrival time

getting to know BOKU (University)

17/10/2017 evening Vienna city tour & dinner

Day 2

18/10/2017 9:00 - 9:30 Welcome and Introduction to the Institute of Hydrobiology

Prof. Stefan Schmutz

18/10/2017 9:30 - 10:15 Hydropower Environmental Impact Mitigation and Risk Management in the Lower Mekong

Prof. Stefan Schmutz

18/10/2017 10:30 - 11:15 Development of Bio-assessment Methods for the Himalya-Hindu-Kush Region

Dr. Ilse Schwarzinger

18/10/2017 11:15 - 12:00

Bio-monitoring Programme of the Mekong River Comission (MRC) in the Lower Mekong Region (given based on the demand of participants)

Dr. Ilse Schwarzinger

18/10/2017 14:00 - 17:00

Federal Environmental Agency - Monitoring and Conservation Programmes of Surface Waters in Austria (lectures and visit of laboratories)

Dr. Robert Konecny

Day 3 19/10/2017 full day

OPTION 1: Visit of the inter-university Research Institute WaterClusterLunz (Topics: Biogeochemistry and Ecohydrology of Riverine Landscapes, Aquatic Lipid Research and Ecotoxicology, Plankton Ecology, visiting BOKU course Limnology)

Dr. Gabriele Weiglhofer

OPTION 2: Ecohydromorphological mapping Pielach River (field work)

Dr. Michaela Poppe

19/10/2017 OPTION 3: Excursion to Aquaculture farms (Common Carp, Trout, Sturgeon)

Day 4 20/10/2017 9:00 - 12:00

functioning & biodiversity of fish-pass hydropowerplant Freudenau including electro fishing fieldwork

Prof. Herwig Waidbacher & Paul Meulenbroek

20/10/2017 13:00 - 17:00 electro fishing data analyses (fish diversity, abundance, biomass)

Pablo Rauch

Day 5 21/10/2017 9:00 - 13:00 guided tour hydropowerplant Freudenau (Vienna Danube river)

Hydropowerplant operator

Day 6 22/10/2017 Departure to Toulouse