A comparison of the degree of implementation of marine biodiversity indicators by European countries in relation to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

Hummel, H.; Frost, Matthew; Juanes, José A.; Kochmann, Judith; Bolde, Carlos F. Castellanos Perez; Aneiros, Fernando; Vandenbosch, François; Franco, João N.; Echavarri, Beatriz; Guinda, Xabier; Puente, Araceli; Fernández, Camino; Galván, Cristina; Merino, María José; Ramos, Elvira; Fernández, Paloma; Pitacco, Valentina; Alberte, Madara; Wójcik, Dagmara; Grabowska, Monika; Jahnke, Marlene; Crocetta, Fabio; Carugati, Laura; Scorrano, Simonetta; Fraschetti, Simonetta; García, Patricia Pérez; Fernández, José Antonio Sanabria; Поромов, А. А.; Юрченко, Анна; Isachenko, Artem; Chava, A. I.; Pavloudi, Christina; Bordeyne, François; Andersen, Simone Fie; Eronat, Elizabeth Grace Tunka; Cakmak, Taylan; Louizidou, Paraskevi; Rico, José; Ruci, Stela; Diego, David Corta; Mendez, Sara; Rousou, Maria; Clippele, Laurence H. De; Eriksson, Annukka; Zanten, Winnie van; Diamant, Anna; Matos, Valentina Kirienko Fernandes De

doi:10.1017/s0025315415000235

Cited by 22 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The lack of indicators stemmed either from lack of monitoring data regarding the area or biological diversity component (e.g., birds, reptiles, pelagic fauna), or from obstacles in the indicator development, including the lack of expert time to develop indicators, or insufficient knowledge about the target levels due to lack of long-term or reference condition data (Hummel et al, 2015). In some cases, more basic ecological research is needed in order to understand the ecological processes well enough to develop indicators.…”

Section: Implications Of the Assessment Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some cases, more basic ecological research is needed in order to understand the ecological processes well enough to develop indicators. In fact, most of the assessments undertaken until now by member states is more qualitative than quantitative (Hummel et al, 2015), representing a challenge for the assessment.…”

Section: Implications Of the Assessment Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the challenges faced during the first round of MSFD initial assessments is the diverging data availability for biodiversity across highly variable systems, but yet an overarching need to conduct compatible assessments across European regional seas (Hummel et al, 2015). European marine ecosystems comprise a complexity and variability both in space and time, ranging from fully saline systems such as in Mediterranean and Atlantic waters to the brackish Baltic Sea, and exposed open water systems such as in the northern Norwegian and Barents seas to fully enclosed systems such as the Black Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…European marine ecosystems comprise a complexity and variability both in space and time, ranging from fully saline systems such as in Mediterranean and Atlantic waters to the brackish Baltic Sea, and exposed open water systems such as in the northern Norwegian and Barents seas to fully enclosed systems such as the Black Sea. The levels of available knowledge and data within these systems vary, as well as the biological parameters and indicators used for assessments (Hummel et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Indicator-Based Assessment of Marine Biological Diversity–Lessons from 10 Case Studies across the European Seas

Uusitalo

Blanchet

Andersen³

et al. 2016

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires the environmental status of European marine waters to be assessed using biodiversity as 1 out of 11 descriptors, but the complexity of marine biodiversity and its large span across latitudinal and salinity gradients have been a challenge to the scientific community aiming to produce approaches for integrating information from a broad range of indicators. The Nested Environmental status Assessment Tool (NEAT), developed for the integrated assessment of the status of marine waters, was applied to 10 marine ecosystems to test its applicability and compare biodiversity assessments across the four European regional seas. We evaluate the assessment results as well as the assessment designs of the 10 cases, and how the assessment design, particularly the choices made regarding the area and indicator selection, affected the results. The results show that only 2 out of the 10 case study areas show more than 50% probability of being in good status in respect of biodiversity. No strong pattern among the ecosystem components across the case study areas could be detected, but marine mammals, birds, and benthic vegetation indicators tended to indicate poor status while zooplankton indicators indicated good status when included into the assessment. The analysis shows that the assessment design, including the selection of indicators, their target values, geographical resolution Uusitalo et al.Case-Studies of Marine Biodiversity and habitats to be assessed, has potentially a high impact on the result, and the assessment structure needs to be understood in order to make an informed assessment. Moreover, recommendations are provided for the best practice of using NEAT for marine status assessments.

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Section: Implications Of the Assessment Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications Of the Assessment Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Indicator-Based Assessment of Marine Biological Diversity–Lessons from 10 Case Studies across the European Seas

Uusitalo

Blanchet

Andersen³

et al. 2016

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Although there is still a lack of practical indicators regarding many aspects of the marine ecosystem (Berg et al, 2015;Hummel et al, 2015;Piroddi et al, 2015), and dedicated research is still needed (Rudd, 2014), it is also recognized that the cost and delays associated with gathering information, learning and development process are often responsible for failures encountered in the implementation stage of management plans (Lee, 1999in Rist et al, 2013Pitcher et al, 2009). All this has inspired recent attempts to take advantage of the existing knowledge and past efforts to develop robust assessment tools and optimize their use in fulfilling stakeholders' environmental commitments (e.g., Cardoso et al, 2010;Fautin et al, 2010;Zampoukas et al, 2012;Liquete et al, 2013;Pereira et al, 2013;Tittensor et al, 2014;Berg et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators

et al. 2016

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A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators was developed with the aim of providing the basis for assessing the environmental status of the marine ecosystems. Useful for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), this catalogue allows the navigation of a database of indicators mostly related to biological diversity, non-indigenous species, food webs, and seafloor integrity. Over 600 indicators were compiled, which were developed and used in the framework of different initiatives (e.g., EU policies, research projects) and in national and international contexts (e.g., Regional Seas Conventions, and assessments in non-European seas). The catalogue reflects the current scientific capability to address environmental assessment needs by providing a broad coverage of the most relevant indicators for marine biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. The available indicators are reviewed according to their typology, data requirements, development status, geographical coverage, relevance to habitats or biodiversity components, and related human pressures. Through this comprehensive overview, we discuss the potential of the current set of indicators in a wide range of contexts, from large-scale to local environmental programs, and we also address shortcomings in light of current needs. Developed by the DEVOTES Project, the catalogue is freely available through the DEVOTool software application, which provides browsing and query options for the associated metadata. The tool allows extraction of ranked indicator lists best fulfilling selected criteria, enabling users to search for suitable indicators to address a particular biodiversity component, ecosystem feature, habitat, or pressure in a marine area of interest. This tool is useful for EU Member States, Teixeira et al. Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity IndicatorsRegional Sea Conventions, the European Commission, non-governmental organizations, managers, scientists, and any person interested in marine environmental assessment. It allows users to build, complement or adjust monitoring programs and has the potential to improve comparability and foster transfer of knowledge across marine regions.

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European Marine Biodiversity Observatory Systems

Hummel

Avesaath

et al. 2019

Encyclopedia of Water

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This article provides an overview of European Marine Biodiversity Observatory Systems. It explains why more attention should be focused on marine biodiversity and raises concern about the understudied marine realm. It builds on a historical perspective of the creation of networks of marine stations, as well as the need of harmonization among them. Finally, a few examples of successful projects and results obtained are given, followed by concluding remarks from the current situation to a future perspective.

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A comparison of the degree of implementation of marine biodiversity indicators by European countries in relation to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

Abstract: The degree of development and operability of the indicators for MSFD using Descriptor 1 (D1)Biological

Cited by 22 publications

References 11 publications

Indicator-Based Assessment of Marine Biological Diversity–Lessons from 10 Case Studies across the European Seas

Indicator-Based Assessment of Marine Biological Diversity–Lessons from 10 Case Studies across the European Seas

A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators

European Marine Biodiversity Observatory Systems

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