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FOREWORD
The Water Framework Directive ( WFD) is changing the way we manage Scotland's water environment. We need to ensure that water use is sustainable, for this and future generations, and to this end the WFD requires us to protect and improve the health of aquatic plant and animal communities in our rivers, lochs, estuaries and groundwaters.
To help us do this, classification schemes are needed to assess the state of our aquatic environment. Classification shows us where the status of the water environment is good, and where it requires improvement. This helps us identify and prioritise where improvements may be needed, and will in turn help us to assess how our water bodies have benefited from those improvements.
This consultation seeks your views on our proposals for classification schemes to support our WFD implementation and the delivery of our objectives for Scotland's water environment.
In 2007, we published two key policy statements. The first of these, " Principles for setting objectives for the River Basin Management Plan", set out our approach to setting environmental objectives for the water environment through the river basin management planning process. The second, " Development of environmental standards and conditions", described the application of environmental standards in helping achieve those objectives.
In addition to those statements, we published a further consultation in June 2008, on the " Development of environmental standards and conditions limits - phase II".
We suggest that you may wish to read these documents in tandem with this consultation.
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