3. Catering

3.1 General framework

The multiplicity of causes of degradation, whether distal (in the watershed and far from watercourses) or proximal (areas adjacent to watercourses, including riparian strips, etc.), means that appropriate and sometimes complex remedial levers and methods are required. This multiplicity, combined with the interactions between the causes of degradation, means that the results of remediation operations are sometimes uncertain and often costly. The decision to take remedial action first requires a quantified assessment of the degradation: what are the losses in the services provided by the watercourse (or a section of watercourse)? These losses in the ecological quality of watercourses are included in all WFD assessments, using tools and methods (see chapter...