Protected areas

Last update: 2026-08-25

Purpose and overview

“According to Article 6 and Annex IV of the WFD, Member States shall ensure the establishment of a register or registers of all areas lying within each River Basin District which have been designated as requiring special protection under specific Community legislation for the protection of their surface water and groundwater, or for the conservation of habitats and species directly depending on water, including the protection of Natura 2000 sites and economically significant aquatic species (e.g. shellfish).” [1] [2]

This section revises the reporting of WFD Protected Areas in the 2nd and 3rd cycle of reporting of the Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans (Figure 16), as well as the associated spatial data (Figure 17).

A proposal is presented for the electronic reporting in the 4th cycle.

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classDiagram
    class SWB_2022 SWAssociatedProtectedArea["«XSDcomplexType»
    SWB_2022::SWAssociatedProtectedArea"]  {
        «XSElement»
        + euProtectedAreaCode: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType
        + protectedAreaType: ProtectedAreaType_Enum
        + protectedAreaObjectivesSet: ProtectedAreaObjective_Enum [0..1]
        + protectedAreaObjectivesMet: YesNoNoInformation_Union_Enum [0..1]
        + protectedAreaComment: String1000Type [0..1]
        + protectedAreaExemption: ExemptionType_Enum [1..*]
    }
    class SurfaceWaterBody["«XSDcomplexType»
    SWB_2022::SurfaceWaterBody"]  {
        
    }
    class GWB_2022 GWAssociatedProtectedArea["«XSDcomplexType»
    GWB_2022::GWAssociatedProtectedArea"] {
        «XSElement»
        + euProtectedAreaCode: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType
        + protectedAreaType: ProtectedGWAreaType_Enum
        + protectedAreaObjectivesSet: ProtectedAreaObjective_Enum [0..1]
        + protectedAreaObjectivesMet: YesNoNoInformation_Union_Enum [0..1]
        + protectedAreaComment: String1000Type [0..1]
        + protectedAreaExemption: ExemptionType_Enum [1..*]
    }
    class GroundWaterBody ["«XSDcomplexType»
    GWB_2022::GroundWaterBody"]{
        
    }

   SWB_2022 SWAssociatedProtectedArea "0..*" <--  SurfaceWaterBody: +SWAssociatedProtectedArea
   GWB_2022 GWAssociatedProtectedArea "0..*" <--  GroundWaterBody: +GWAssociatedProtectedArea
    

Figure 16 GWAssociatedProtectedArea and SWAssociatedProtectedArea - 3rd cycle - Obsolete

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classDiagram
    class ProtectedArea["«FeatureType»
    ProtectedArea"]  {
      
        + geometry: GM_MultiSurface
        + inspireIdLocalId: String254LeadingLetterOrNum
        + inspireIdNamespace: String254LeadingLetterOrNum
        + inspireIdVersionId: String25Type [0..1]
        + thematicIdentifier: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType
        + thematicIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme
        + beginLifespanVersion: WiseDateTimeType [0..1]
        + endLifespanVersion: WiseDateTimeType [0..1]
        + predecessorsIdentifier: String254LeadingLetterOrNum [0..1]
        + predecessorsIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme [0..1]
        + successorsIdentifier: String254LeadingLetterOrNum [0..1]
        + successorsIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme [0..1]
        + wiseEvolutionType: WiseEvolutionTypeValue
        + nameTextInternational: String254Latin
        + nameText: String254Type
        + nameLanguage: WiseLanguageCode_Enum
        + designationPeriodBegin: WiseDateTimeType
        + designationPeriodEnd: WiseDateTimeType [0..1]
        + zoneType: ZoneTypeCode
        + specialisedZoneType: SpecialisedZoneTypeCode [0..1]
        + specialisedZoneIdentifier: String254LeadingLetterOrNum
        + legalBasisName: String254LeadingLetterOrNum [0..1]
        + legalBasisLink: URLType
        + legalBasisLevel: LegislationLevelValue
        + relatedZoneIdentifier: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType [0..1]
        + relatedZoneIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme [0..1]
        + sizeValue: PositiveDecimalType [0..1]
        + sizeUom: UomSize [0..1]
        + link: URLType [0..1]
    }
    class FeatureCollection ["«FeatureType»
    FeatureCollection"] {
    }
   
  
    ProtectedArea "1..*" <-- FeatureCollection : + featureMember

    

Figure 17 ProtectedArea spatial datasets - 3rd cycle - Obsolete

The WFD Protected Area spatial data reporting requirements were stable during the 2nd and 3rd cycle of electronic reporting (Table 17).

The following generic principles were applied [1] [2]:

1. If the spatial data was already reported under a specific dataflow (e.g. for bathing waters, sensitive areas, nitrate vulnerable zones, or Natura 2000 protected sites), then the spatial data was neither required nor accepted under the WFD.

2. If no specific dataflow existed (e.g. for drinking water protection areas, freshwater fish designated areas and shellfish designated areas), then the spatial data was reported under the WFD.

Several issues affected the reporting, causing redundancies and inconsistencies:

• For the protected area types under case 1), not all the data models followed the basic requirements of the WFD ProtectedArea data model.
  For example, the nitrate vulnerable zones do not have a unique identifier consistent with the syntax of the WISE identifiers.

• For protected area types under case 2), the majority of the issues affected the reporting of the drinking water protection areas. If the drinking water protection area matched the entire water body and the identifier was the same,
  then it was not required to report the geometry of the protected area.
  However, this approach was not followed consistently by Member States.

• For the Natura2000 protected sites, the association to one or more WFD water bodies is not reported in the original dataflow. Therefore, the association must reported under the WFD descriptive (i.e. non-spatial) data reporting.

• For the remaining types of WFD Protected Areas, the association to a WFD water body was an optional attribute (e.g. bathing waters, sensitive areas, etc).
  Therefore, the association between the protected area and the water body was requested again in the WFD descriptive data reporting. This approach created redundancies and potential inconsistencies due to the different reporting timelines.

Table 17 WFD Protected Area spatial data reporting requirements – 2nd and 3rd cycle of reporting

Reporting requirements	zoneType and specialisedZoneType values
Drinking water protection areas Water bodies identified under WFD Article 7(1) are the only protected areas that are purely designated by WFD, i.e., there is no process to identify and designate these areas under other pieces of legislation, although obviously they are relevant for drinking water supply. […] Member States practice varies in the designation of Drinking Water protected areas. The following two broad approaches could be identified in the first RBMP (River Basin Management Plans), for which guidance is provided as regards reporting of spatial data: a) Some Member States follow WFD Article 7 and designate as protected areas the water bodies used for the abstraction of water intended for human consumption (and those intended for such future use). Therefore, there is no different spatial delineation of the protected areas: these are coincident with the WFD water bodies. Therefore, no reporting of spatial data under the WFD is expected in this case. b) Some Member States delineate the part of the water bodies which they consider are protected areas. The spatial extent of the protected areas can therefore be different, typically smaller than WFD water bodies. This is often the case in large groundwater bodies. In this case the Member State is required to report the spatial extent of the protected areas […].	zoneType = 'drinkingWaterProtectionArea'
Freshwater fish designated waters The Freshwater Fish Directive (2006/44/EC) was repealed by the WFD in 2013. The WFD Reporting Guidance recalls that “according to the WFD, the level of protection should be maintained through the inclusion of the designated areas as Protected Areas under WFD”. In addition, “it is considered that the WFD objective of good ecological status integrates fully the objectives of the Fish Directive”. Some Member States maintain the transposing legislation in order to maintain the same level of protection, and still consider this an important element in the protection of water resources. Spatial delineation of the protected areas under the Freshwater Fish Directive may or may not coincide with the delineation of the WFD water bodies. It is therefore possible to report the spatial extent of these protected areas […]. The reporting of this information is optional.	zoneType = 'designatedWaters' AND specialisedZoneType = 'freshwaterFishDesignatedWater'
Shellfish designated waters The Shellfish Directive (2006/113/EC) was repealed by the WFD in 2013. As with the Freshwater Fish Directive, after the repeal, the WFD requires Member States to maintain the same level of protection. However, in the case of the Shellfish Directive, the WFD objective of good ecological status does not integrate fully the objectives of the Shellfish Directive. Indeed, “microbiological standards are essential for the quality of shellfish water”, and these are not part of the definition of ecological status. Therefore, “it is requested to report if these standards have been set (or maintained from the shellfish water directive) and if they are met” (WFD Reporting Guidance 2016). Given that the Shellfish Directive is no longer in force and therefore there is no self-standing reporting mechanism to report the protected areas, it is required that the spatial extents of the protected areas are reported under the WFD […].	zoneType = 'designatedWaters' AND specialisedZoneType IN ('shellfishDesignatedWater')
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Reporting of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) is done under the Nitrates Directive 91/676/EEC reporting process (rod.eionet.europa.eu/obligations/106). […] The definition of the reporting requirements for NVZs does not include a unique ID for each zone (dd.eionet.europa.eu/tables/7762). […] If the Member State applies a ‘whole territory’ approach for the Nitrates Directive, it should not report protected areas under the WFD. In any case, no reporting of spatial data for NVZs is expected under the WFD.	zoneType = 'nitrateVulnerableZone'
UWWTD Sensitive Areas Reporting of spatial extent of sensitive areas is done through the regular reporting under the Urban Waste Water Directive 91/271/EEC (cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/UWWTD). […] Sensitive areas are identified through a unique ID […].	zoneType = 'sensitiveArea' AND specialisedZoneType in ('catchmentOfSensitiveArea', 'lessSensitiveArea', 'coastalSensitiveArea', 'transitionalSensitiveArea', 'lakeSensitiveArea', 'riverSensitiveArea', 'coastalBathingWater')
Bathing Waters The annual reporting under Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC (cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/BWD) requires the identification of bathing waters by providing a point […]. As an optional element, the surface water body identifier is provided for each bathing water site […].	zoneType = 'bathingWaters' AND specialisedZoneType in ('transitionalBathingWater', 'lakeBathingWater', 'riverBathingWater')
Habitats and Birds Directives protected sites Reporting of protected sites is done under the Habitats and Birds reporting processes for Natura 2000 sites (rod.eionet.europa.eu/obligations/274 and rod.eionet.europa.eu/obligations/616). […] Member States are expected to identify the water dependent protected areas associated with water bodies under the WFD reporting. This is done by reporting the Habitats and Birds Directive site code in the attribute euProtectedAreaCode. The WFD reporting process will automatically cross‑check if the site ID is on the list of reported Natura 2000 areas. If this is not the case, the system will generate an error. […] No reporting of spatial data regarding Natura 2000 protected areas is expected under the WFD.	«not applicable»

These issues are addressed in the simplification of the reporting for the 4th cycle:

• The same spatial data model is used for all the WFD ProtectedArea dataflows and datasets, guaranteeing the existence of WISE unique identifiers

• The association between protected areas and water bodies is reported only once, in the ProtectedArea spatial dataset (i.e. removing it from the WFD descriptive data reporting)

These principles (same model, unique identifiers, report only once) were applied for all WFD protected area types, except Natura2000 protected sites.

Proposed structure - 4th cycle

For the 4th cycle of reporting, the requested information detailed in (see also Figure 18):

• Spatial data - 4th cycle

• Descriptive data - 4th cycle

• Documents dataset - 4th cycle

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class dcMetadata{<<documents>>}
class Reference{<<documents>>}
class Document {<<documents>>}

class GWAssociatedProtectedArea{<<descriptive>>}
class SWAssociatedProtectedArea{<<descriptive>>}

class ProtectedArea{<<spatial>>
+ zoneType: 'designatedWaters'}

class WFDProtectedArea:::otherDataset{<<reference>>}
class Natura2000:::otherDataset{<<reference>>}

dcMetadata ..> Document
Reference ..> Document
SWAssociatedProtectedArea ..> Reference 
GWAssociatedProtectedArea ..> Reference 

SWAssociatedProtectedArea ..> WFDProtectedArea 
GWAssociatedProtectedArea ..> WFDProtectedArea 
SWAssociatedProtectedArea ..> Natura2000 
GWAssociatedProtectedArea ..> Natura2000 

ProtectedArea "0..1" -- "1" SWAssociatedProtectedArea 

classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef otherDataset fill:lavender,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;

    

Figure 18 WFD Protected Areas dataflow - overview - 4th cycle

Spatial data - 4th cycle

The reporting of spatial data related to WFD protected areas in done under the dataflows pertaining to the legal instruments under which the protected areas were defined (Table 18).

Only designated waters (freshwater fish and shellfish designated waters) are reported in directly in the 4th RBMP dataflow.

Table 18 EU legal instruments under which the WFD Protected Areas are defined.

Acronym	Name and ELI	Obligation
Shellfish Directive	Directive 2006/113/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the quality required of shellfish waters Note: implicitly repealed by WFD ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2006/113/oj	(included under WFD)
Fish Directive	Directive 2006/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life Note: implicitly repealed by WFD ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2006/44/oj	(included under WFD)
BWD	Directive 2006/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 concerning the management of bathing water quality and repealing Directive 76/160/EEC ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2006/7/oj	ROD
DWD (recast)	Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on the quality of water intended for human consumption (recast) ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2020/2184/oj	ROD (reporting under revision)
NITRATES	Council Directive of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (91/676/EEC) ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1991/676/oj	ROD (reporting under revision)
UWWTD (recast)	Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast) ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/3019/oj	ROD (reporting under revision)
Birds Directive	Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/147/oj	ROD
Habitats Directive	Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1992/43/oj	ROD

The WFD Protected Area spatial data reporting requirement for the 4th cycle of electronic reporting are detailed in (Table 19)

• The reporting of drinking water protection areas is moved to under Article 8 of the recast DWD, on the risk assessment and management of catchment areas for abstraction points of water intended for human consumption.

• The data model for the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones reporting is aligned with the model used for the other protected areas (except Natura 2000 protected sites).

• The reporting of the association between the protected areas and the water bodies is done only once – in the spatial data reporting (except Natura 2000 protected sites).

Table 19 WFD Protected Area spatial data reporting requirements – 4th cycle

Reporting requirements	zoneType and specialisedZoneType
Drinking Water protection areas The spatial data reporting moves to the recast Drinking Water Directive. Information about the drinking water protection areas and safeguard zones is part of the reporting under Article 8 of the recast DWD, on the risk assessment and management of catchment areas for abstraction points of water intended for human consumption. The new spatial data model is similar to the WFD ProtectedArea model previously used. • Unique identifiers must be reported, following the WISE identifier syntax. • The association between protected areas and water bodies must be reported using the relatedZone columns. • A new confidentialityStatus column was added to allow data providers to report spatial data that will not be published. • The specialisedZoneType column allows the distinction between different types of protected area. For further information, data providers are referred to the document: “Risk assessment and risk management of the catchment areas for abstraction points of water intended for human consumption. Conceptual model proposal for the electronic reporting under the recast Drinking Water Directive Article 8. Version 2025‑12‑18.”	zoneType = 'drinkingWaterProtectionArea' AND specialisedZoneType in ('catchmentArea', 'waterBody', 'waterAbstractionSafeguardZone')
Freshwater fish designated waters The spatial data reporting remains under Water Framework Directive. • The association between each protected area and one or more surface water bodies must be reported, using the relatedZone columns. Reporting is conditional: • Member States that have reported Freshwater fish designated areas in the 3rd reporting cycle must update the information previously reported (prefilled from the 3rd cycle). • Other Member States may optionally report newly created or existing Freshwater fish designated areas.	zoneType = 'designatedWaters' AND specialisedZoneType = 'freshwaterFishDesignatedWater'
Shellfish designated waters The spatial data reporting remains under Water Framework Directive. • The association between each protected area and one or more surface water bodies must be reported, using the relatedZone columns. Reporting is conditional: • Member States that have reported Shellfish designated areas in the 3rd reporting cycle must update the information previously reported (prefilled from the 3rd cycle). • Other Member States must report newly created or existing Shellfish designated areas.	zoneType = 'designatedWaters' AND specialisedZoneType IN ('shellfishDesignatedWater')
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones The spatial data reporting remains under the Nitrates Directive. The Nitrates Directive dataflows are currently under revision. The new spatial data model is identical to the WFD ProtectedArea model. • Unique identifiers must be reported, following the WISE identifier syntax. • The association between each protected area and one or more surface water bodies should be reported. • Member States that follow the “whole territory” approach do not report spatial data.	zoneType = 'nitrateVulnerableZone'
UWWTD Sensitive Areas The spatial data reporting remains under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. The UWWTD dataflows are currently under revision. The spatial data model is already identical to the WFD ProtectedArea model. • Unique identifiers must be reported, following the WISE identifier syntax. • The association between each protected area and one or more surface water bodies must be reported using the relatedZone columns, if specialisedZoneType != ‘catchmentOfSensitiveArea’. • If specialisedZoneType = ‘catchmentOfSensitiveArea’, then the associated ProtectedArea (with specialisedZoneType != ‘catchmentOfSensitiveArea’) is reported in the relatedZone columns. • Member States that follow the “whole territory” approach do not report spatial data.	zoneType = 'sensitiveArea' AND specialisedZoneType in ('catchmentOfSensitiveArea', 'lessSensitiveArea', 'coastalSensitiveArea', 'transitionalSensitiveArea', 'lakeSensitiveArea', 'riverSensitiveArea', 'coastalBathingWater')
Bathing Waters The spatial data reporting remains under the Bathing Water Directive dataflow. The dataflow is currently being implemented in RN3 and will soon be available for testing. The spatial data model is already identical to the WFD ProtectedArea model. • Unique identifiers must be reported, following the WISE identifier syntax. • The association between each protected area and one surface water body must be reported. Reporting is annual — but only required if new bathing waters are designated OR if missing information must be completed.	zoneType = 'bathingWaters' AND specialisedZoneType in ('transitionalBathingWater', 'lakeBathingWater', 'riverBathingWater')
Habitats and Birds Directives protected sites No spatial data reporting under the Water Framework Directive.	«not applicable»

Figure 19 presents the class diagram for the proposed generic ProtectedArea dataset:

• Depending on the specific dataflow, different geometry types may be requested/allowed (either point, line or polygon).

• The relatedZoneIdentifier and relatedZoneIdentifierScheme are mandatory, and specific constraints will apply depending on the dataflow (i.e. on the type of protected area).

• The attribute confidentialityStatus was included (and applies to the drinking water protected areas) to address concerns about the publication of the location of some protected areas.

• The attributes sizeValue and sizeUom attributes are no longer requested.

• The attributes successorsIdentifier and successorsIdentifierScheme have been kept for clarity’s sake although their value will always be NULL (the appropriate value will be derived and included in the published WISE datasets that refer to the previous reporting cycles).

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classDiagram
direction LR
class ProtectedArea {
  + geometry_polygon: MultiPolygon [0..1]
  + geometry_line: MultiLineString [0..1]
  + geometry_point: MultiPoint [0..1]
  + inspireIdLocalId: string254
  + inspireIdNamespace: string254
  + inspireIdVersionId: string25 [0..1]
  + thematicIdIdentifier: wiseIdentifier
  + thematicIdIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme
  + beginLifespanVersion: date [0..1]
  + endLifespanVersion: date [0..1]
  + predecessorsIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [0..n]
  + predecessorsIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme [0..1]
  + successorsIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [0..n]
  + successorsIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme [0..1]
  + wiseEvolutionType: WiseEvolutionType
  + nameTextInternational: string254
  + nameText: string254
  + nameLanguage: Language
  + designationPeriodBegin: date
  + designationPeriodEnd: date [0..1]
  + zoneType: ZoneType
  + specialisedZoneType: SpecialisedZoneType
  + legalBasisName: string254 
  + legalBasisLink: URL 
  + legalBasisLevel: LegislationLevelValue 
  + relatedZoneIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [1..n]
  + relatedZoneIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme
  + confidentialityStatus: ConfidentialityStatusValue [0..1]
  + link: URL [0..1]
}

    

Figure 19 Class diagram for an abstract ProtectedArea dataset – 4th cycle

Special case - Natura2000 sites

The Natura2000 dataflows do not include information about the association between protected sites and WFD water bodies. Therefore, a different approach is necessary to simplify the WFD reporting.

A Natura 2000 site should be designated as “water-dependent” if it contains Annex I habitat types or Annex II species (Habitats Directive), or bird species (Birds Directive), whose presence was the primary reason for the area’s designation and that meet the ecological criteria below:

• habitats consisting of surface water or occurring entirely within surface water as defined by the WFD

• habitats that depend on frequent inundation by surface water or specific groundwater levels

• aquatic species living directly in surface waters

• species with at least one aquatic life stage dependent on surface water for essential activities such as breeding, incubation, juvenile development, feeding, or roosting.

A provisional prefilled list of “water-dependent” Natura 2000 protected sites was created, based on the Natura2000 reporting and the habitat type [3].

The provisional prefilled list is available here for validation purposes:

• If missing, additional Natura 2000 protected site identifiers may be added (from the reference list already reported under the Natura 2000 dataflows).

• If incorrect, Natura 2000 protected site identifiers present in the provisional list may be flagged for removal from the WFD register of protected areas.

• For those Natura 2000 sites that were related to WFD surface water bodies in the 3rd reporting cycle please review, in the provided SQLite file, the distance value (expressed in kilometers) from the Natura 2000 site to the associated water body to detect possible issues.

• For the Natura 2000 sites to be included in the WFD register of protected areas (because where the maintenance or improvement of water status is a critical factor for their protection), the association to water bodies should be reported.

The list of related Natura2000 sites has been generated with the following published datasets:

Table 20 Natura 2000 Datasets

Year	Type	Publication date	EEA SDI
2024	Tabular	2026-03-05	eea_t_natura2000_p_2024_v01_r01
2024	Vector	2025-12-01	eea_v_3035_100_k_natura2000_p_2024_v01_r00

Descriptive data - 4th cycle

Specific objectives may be set for the water body due to an associated protected areas.
This only applies for the following types of protected areas:

• Shellfish designated waters

• Drinking water protection areas

• Natura 2000 protected sites included in the WFD register of protected areas

For Freshwater fish designated waters, the WFD good ecological status fully integrates the integrate Fish Directive (2006/44/EC) objectives. Similarly, the WFD good status integrates the Nitrates Directive and UWWTD objectives related to eutrophication. Therefore, no information on specific objectives is requested or expected for these types of protected area or for bathing waters.

The analysis of the 3rd cycle reveals that no specific objectives were set for Nationally Designated Areas (NatDA, formerly known as CDDA). Information about this type of protected sites will no longer be requested.

Figure 20 illustrates the reporting of surface water bodies with specific objectives related to protected areas:

• For shellfish designated areas, report only if specific objectives have been set.

• For drinking water protection areas, report only if specific objectives have been set.

• For Natura2000 sites, report if specific objectives have been set or if the Natura2000 site is not part of the “pre-filled” list (to be provided).

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classDiagram
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class SWAssociatedProtectedArea{
 + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode : wiseIdentifier
 + euProtectedAreaType : ProtectedAreaType 
 + euProtectedAreaCode : natura2000Identifier [0..1]
 + protectedAreaObjectivesSet : YesNo
 + protectedAreaObjectivesMet : YesNoUnknownInapplicable
    }
 class ProtectedAreaType{
    <<enumeration>>
    shellfishDesignatedWater
    drinkingWaterProtectionArea
    natura2000
    }
    

Figure 20 Surface water bodies with specific objectives associated with protected areas - 4th cycle

Figure 21 illustrates the reporting of groundwater bodies with specific objectives associated with protected areas:

• For shellfish designated areas, report only if specific objectives have been set.

• For drinking water protection areas, report only if specific objectives have been set.

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classDiagram
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class GWAssociatedProtectedArea{
 + euGroundwaterBodyCode : wiseIdentifier
 + euProtectedAreaType : ProtectedAreaType 

 - protectedAreaObjectivesSet : Yes
 + protectedAreaObjectivesMet : YesNoUnknown
    }
 class ProtectedAreaType{
    <<enumeration>>
    shellfishDesignatedWater
    drinkingWaterProtectionArea

    }
    

Figure 21 Groundwater bodies with specific objectives associated with protected areas - 4th cycle

The following conditions will raise a quality control blocker:

• euProtectedAreaType = 'shellfishDesignatedWater' AND protectedAreaObjectivesSet = 'no'

• euProtectedAreaType = 'drinkingWaterProtectionArea' AND protectedAreaObjectivesSet = 'no'

• euProtectedAreaType = 'shellfishDesignatedWater' AND euProtectedAreaCode IS NOT NULL

• euProtectedAreaType = 'drinkingWaterProtectionArea' AND euProtectedAreaCode IS NOT NULL

• euProtectedAreaType = 'natura2000' AND euProtectedAreaCode IS NULL

• protectedAreaObjectivesSet = 'yes' AND protectedAreaObjectivesMet = 'inapplicable'

The following checks against other datasets will also raise a quality control blocker:

• if euProtectedAreaType = 'shellfishDesignatedWater' but there is no drinking water protected area associated with that water body

• if euProtectedAreaType = 'drinkingWaterProtectionArea' but there is no drinking water protected area associated with that water body

• if euProtectedAreaType = 'natura2000' but there is corresponding Natura2000 identifier in https://dd.eionet.europa.eu/vocabulary/biodiversity/n2000sites

Exemptions for surface water bodies associated with protected areas

Specific objectives may be expressed in terms of WFD Water quality elements for surface water bodies associated with some types of protected areas:

• Shellfish designated waters

• Drinking water protection areas

• Natura2000 protected sites included in the WFD register of protected areas

If the specific objectives have been expressed in terms of WFD quality elements, and have not been met, then exemptions may be reported. (Note that the euProtectedAreaCode value is only requested for Natura2000 sites.)

Based on the data reported in the 3rd cycle, the expected number of exemptions is relatively low. Therefore the attributes related to exemptions were simply added to the SWAssociatedProtectedArea table (Figure 22).
See also Codelists - 4th cycle.

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classDiagram
class SWAssociatedProtectedArea{
	+ euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
	+ euProtectedAreaType: ProtectedAreaType 
	+ euProtectedAreaCode: wiseIdentifier [0..1]
	+ protectedAreaObjectivesSet: YesNo
	+ protectedAreaObjectivesMet: YesNoUnknownInapplicable
	/ exemptionType: ExemptionType [0..1]
	+ exemptionRationale: ExemptionRationale [0..n]
	+ exemptionPeriod: ExemptionPeriod [0..1]
	+ exemptionReference: referenceCode [0..1]
	   } 

classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;
    

Figure 22 Surface water body associated protected area - Exemptions - 4th cycle

Todo

Exemptions - Exemptions for surface water bodies associated with protected areas

DG ENV to provide draft flowchart and quality control criteria for Exemptions for surface water bodies associated with protected areas.

Exemptions for groundwater bodies associated with protected areas

Specific objectives may be set for water bodies associated with some types of protected areas:

• Drinking water protection areas

• Natura 2000 protected sites included in the WFD register of protected areas

If the specific objectives have not been met, then exemptions may be reported.

(Note that the euProtectedAreaCode value is only requested for Natura 2000 sites.)

Based on the data reported in the 3rd cycle, the expected number of exemptions is relatively low. Therefore the attributes related to exemptions were simply added to the GWAssociatedProtectedArea table (Figure 23).
See also Codelists - 4th cycle.

Todo

Exemptions: Exemptions for groundwater bodies associated with protected areas

DG ENV to provide draft flowchart and quality control criteria

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classDiagram
class GWAssociatedProtectedArea{
	+ euGroundWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
	+ euProtectedAreaType: ProtectedAreaType
	+ euProtectedAreaCode: wiseIdentifier [0..1]
	+ protectedAreaObjectivesSet: YesNo
	+ protectedAreaObjectivesMet: YesNoUnknownInapplicable
	/ exemptionType: ExemptionType [0..1]
	+ exemptionRationale: ExemptionRationale [0..n]
	+ exemptionPeriod: ExemptionPeriod [0..1]
	+ exemptionReference: referenceCode [0..1]
	   } 

classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;
    

Figure 23 Groundwater body associated protected area - Exemptions - 4th cycle

Documents dataset - 4th cycle

The Documents dataset follows the standard structure used in various WISE dataflows (Figure 24):

• The dcMetadata table provides the basic Dublin Core metadata elements about the delivery.

  • If required by the data providers, and especially if spatial data is being reported, the licenseDocument and the metadataDocument attributes allow the provision of additional information about the dataset.

  • The dcMetadata table also functions as a “manifest file” explaining if the delivery contains data for a given river basin district or not.

• The Document table allows the upload of documents (for example, PDFs) or the provision of a hyperlink to a document stored in a publicly accessible national web site.

• The Reference table is also standard in the WISE dataflows: the bookmark it allows the identification of the chapter(s), sections(s) or page range(s) where the relevant information about a subject can be found within a document.

        ---
config:
  class:
    hideEmptyMembersBox: true
  layout: dagre
  theme: neutral
---
classDiagram
direction LR

class dcMetadata {

«metadata»
+ title: string
+ creatorOrganisationName: string
+ creatorElectronicMailAddress: Email
+ description: string [0..1]
+ created: date [0..1]
+ language: Language [1..n]
+ license: Licence
+ rights: string [0..1]
+ rightsHolder: string [0..1]
+ licenseDocument: documentCode [0..n]
+ metadataDocument: documentCode [0..n]

«manifest»
+ euRBDCode: wiseIdentifier
+ includesSpatialData: YesNo
+ includesDescriptiveData: YesNo
}

class Reference {
  + referenceCode: wiseIdentifier
  + documentCode: documentCode
  + bookmark: string250
  + subject: string250 
}

class Document {
+ documentCode: wiseIdentifier
+ documentName: string250
+ hyperlink: URL [0..1]
+ documentFile: Attachment [0..1]
}

class Licence{
  <<enumeration>>
  CC0
  CC_BY_4_0
  exactMatch_CC_BY_4_0
  narrowMatch_CC_BY_4_0
}

Reference  ..> Document: documentCode
dcMetadata ..> Document: licenseDocument
dcMetadata ..> Document: metadataDocument
dcMetadata ..> Licence: license
classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;
    

Figure 24 WFD Protected Area dataflow - 4th cycle - Documents

The following criteria apply:

1. The dcMetadata table must contain one and only one record for each of the country’s river basin districts, identified by the euRBDCode.

2. The spatial dataset is national. The includesSpatialData value must be the same for all river basin districts.

3. If includesSpatialData = 'no' then no spatial data is expected, and the quality control of the descriptive dataset will run against the designated areas (freshwater fish and shellfish) reported in the 3rd cycle, plus the last technically accepted deliveries of the other types of WFD protected areas in the WISE register.

4. The descriptive dataset tables are also national, but the quality control will allow deliveries where some, or all, the river basin districts have includesDescriptiveData = no.

Annexes - Data analysis - 3rd cycle

This section contains some of the exploratory data analysis that supported the revision of the data model.

It is not relevant for the understanding of the proposed model, but may be informative for data providers involved in the testing phase of the 4th cycle dataflows.

About the EEA discodata service

The example queries can be executed interactively in the EEA discodata service.
Note that some queries may timeout.
If you need to analyse the entire European dataset, download it in CSV format.
For example, the link https://discodata.eea.europa.eu/download/WISE_WFD/v2r1/GWB_GroundWaterBody downloads the data of the [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[GWB_GroundWaterBody] table.

The data reported for the 3rd cycle can be used to estimate the impact of the simplification of the descriptive data reporting:

• 46% of the 84560 records reported for groundwater associated protected areas would not have been reported.

• 72% of the 71726 records reported for surface water associated protected areas would not have been reported.

References

Warning

The original document containing this revised model can still be downloaded but should not be used. See PROPOSAL - Version 2026.02.13 PDF

---

[1] (1,2)

European Commission and Directorate-General for Environment. Clarification note in relation to the reporting of spatial data for Water Framework Directive (WFD) protected areas, in the context of the March 2016 reporting of the second River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). https://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/WFD/WFD_521_2016/GISGuidance/Clarification_note_protected_areas.pdf, 2016. Guidance document.

[2] (1,2)

European Commission and Directorate-General for Environment. Clarification note in relation to the reporting of spatial data for Water Framework Directive (WFD) protected areas, in the context of the March 2022 reporting of the third River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). https://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/WFD/WFD_780_2022/GISGuidance/PA_Clarification_Note.pdf, 2022. Guidance document.

[3]

European Commission, DG Environment. Links between the Water Framework Directive and Nature Directives: Frequently Asked Questions. FAQ paper, European Commission, 2011. URL: https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-49eb-9c63-6cb0fadf29dc/library/f214c3f5-bf5c-404a-a18b-02c0553b82ad/details?open=true.