WFD Cycle 2 Invasive Species Override Classification for UK Water Bodies

A subset of the WFD Classification Status Cycle 2 dataset from the UK Environment Agency. It details water bodies initially classified at High Ecological Status that were downgraded to Good Status due to the presence of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS). The dataset applies specific criteria for downgrading, including recent records and species from a defined high-impact list.

Use Cases

• Tracking the downgrade of water body status based on invasive species presence mentioned in the description
• Analyzing the application of specific criteria (recent records, location, high-impact list) for ecological status assessment
• Monitoring the distribution and impact of high-impact invasive species on UK water quality metrics

Strengths

• Criteria for downgrading status are explicitly defined, including a 3-year data window and a specific list of high-impact species.
• Dataset is officially sourced from the UK Environment Agency, a regulatory body.

Limitations

• The dataset has been retired and superseded by another record, indicating it is not the current version.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the UK's Water Framework Directive reporting.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency

Collection Method

Subset of the WFD Classification Status Cycle 2 dataset, with an additional check for Invasive Non-Native Species.

Freshness

Last updated metadata indicates 2026-07-17, but the dataset is retired.

Geography

United Kingdom water bodies