Christine Argillier – Research Director, Aquatic ecologist
March 2021
Christine Argillier looks back over 20 years supporting the implementation of the WFD. With the aim of restoring the ‘good status’ of continental waters by 2015, this environmental directive set an obligation to achieve results, even though many questions remained unanswered. Christine Argillier takes a look at how science is helping to answer these questions, and at the new challenges that lie ahead.
Discover our thematic dossier
Thematic dossier
Science and the Water Framework Directive 20 years of hydrobiology research to achieve good ecological status in aquatic environments
In 2000, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) set Member States the challenge of restoring European water bodies to good ecological status within twenty years. At the time, knowledge was lacking to implement the directive, so in 2007 the Ministry of the Environment’s Directorate for Water and Biodiversity (DEB) and the National Office for Water and Aquatic Environments (Onema) entered into a major collaboration with a number of research bodies. Cemagref/Irstea and INRA (now INRAE) were among the first partners to join forces, with research being carried out in hydrology, biology and ecology. While work is continuing to achieve the objective of good ecological status, the contributions of science to the implementation of this innovative and ambitious public environmental policy are already significant. A look back at 20 years of collaboration between French research and government departments.
