Follow-up to GES Decision D6 Sea-floor integrity/D1 seabed habitats - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

David Connor European Commission DG Environment Unit C.2 Marine Environment and Water Industry

Follow-up to GES Decision D6 Sea-floor integrity/D1 seabed habitats

HELCOM State & Conservation meeting 8 May 2019, Hamina, Finland

Progress in CIS

10-11.2018 WG GES and MSCG

• ToRs finalised and adopted (GES_20-2018-06,

MSCG_23-2018-02)

• Maintain ICES for technical advice

12.2018 COM call for participants & co-chair

• Nominations received from:
• 17 Member States: BE, DE, DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, IE, IT, LV, NL, PT,

RO, SE, UK

• 2 IGOs: HELCOM, ICES
• 2 NGOs: NAVI, Seas at Risk

2019 meetings of TG Seabed:

• 12-13 June 2019, Brussels
• 27-28 November, Brussels (tbc)

Decision follow-up work

• Main aims:
• To develop a common framework for assessing the

environmental status of seabed habitats

• To propose threshold values for adverse effects on the

state of a habitat (D6C5), maximum allowable extent

• f habitat loss (D6C4) and of habitat adversely

affected (D6C5), and method for assessing overall status of a habitat, using criteria D6C4 and D6C5

• To ensure, as far as possible, that the methodological

standards, data requirements and assessments under the MSFD are compatible with HD, WFD and CFP

• To consider current pressures and activities to inform

the feasibility of achieving such values

• To identify where data and scientific knowledge are

currently insufficient, and reflect such uncertainties in proposals made.

TG Seabed ToRs

TG Seabed tasks/timelines

Tasks Date Common framework for assessment of seabed habitats, and dealing with (sub)regional specificities 2019 Review of relevant methods under WFD, Habitats Directive, ICES, RSCs, national approaches and projects 2019 Methods for assessing criterion D6C2 (physical disturbance) 2020 Methods for assessing criteria D6C1 and D6C4 (physical loss) 2020 Principles for determining adverse effects on seabed habitats 2020 Methods for assessing adverse effects, using point source and spatial data/models (D6C5) 2020 Proposals for threshold values for adverse effects on habitat condition (D6C5) and maximum allowable extent of loss (D6C4) and adverse effect (D6C5) values 2021 Rules for integration of criteria D6C4 and D6C5 in order to define the status of a habitat 2021

D6C2 Physical disturbance

• 1. Advise on methods to assess extent and

distribution of physical disturbance pressures on seabed (all relevant activities) in MSFD marine waters

• 2. Demonstrate application of the advice by

providing estimates of the spatial extent of physical disturbance per subdivision and per MSFD broad habitat type, with maps

• 3. Advise on key needs for improvement in data and

methods

• 1. ICES technical advice -> TG Seabed -> WG GES
• 2. Delivery due Q4 2019

D6C2 Physical disturbance

WKBEDPRES1, ICES, 24-26 Oct. 2018

24 participants from 10 countries, including DG ENV, EEA, HELCOM, OSPAR, various EU-funded projects, ICES Data Centre, ICES Working Groups Scope:

• 1. to identify physical disturbance pressure layers

across four EU regions, including data flows and criteria for practical use to assess benthic impact

• 2. to collate benthic physical disturbance pressure

layer data (Oct 2018-Aug 2019)

• 3. to evaluate and test operationally the application
• f compiled benthic physical disturbance

pressure layers (WKBEDPRES2, 30 Sep -2 Oct 2019).

Report: WKBEDPRES1

D6C2 Physical disturbance

WKBEDPRES1

• Main outcomes:
• Reviewed main activities causing disturbance and

loss per region –> similar in all 4 EU regions

• Fishing is most extensive cause of physical

abrasion, with aggregate extraction and dredging also of relevance in most regions but much less extensive

• Considered ‘smothering’ as well as ‘abrasion’
• Identified data sources for main activities
• Identified methods for processing/assessment of

data (compatible with VMS data methods)

• Clarified needs of 2017 Decision (MSFD broad

habitat types, ‘subdivision’ scales of assessment)

• Defined requirements for further work (e.g. WG

SFD, WG EXT, and WKBEDPRES2 in Q3 2019)

D6C2 Physical disturbance

D6C1/D6C4 Physical loss/per habitat

• 1. Advise on methods to assess extent and

distribution of physical loss pressures on seabed in MSFD marine waters

• 2. Demonstrate application of the advice by

providing estimates of the spatial extent of physical loss per subdivision and per MSFD broad habitat type, with maps

• 3. Advise on key needs for improvement in data and

methods

• 1. ICES technical advice -> TG Seabed -> WG GES
• 2. Delivery due Q4 2019

D6C1/C4 Physical loss

WKBEDLOSS, ICES, 11-13 Mar. 2019

20 participants from 9 countries, including DG ENV, HELCOM, various EU-funded projects, ICES WG FBIT, WKBEDPRES1 Scope:

• 1. to identify physical loss pressure layers across

four EU regions, including data flows and criteria for practical use to assess benthic impact

• 2. to collate benthic physical loss pressure layer

data (Oct 2018-Aug 2019)

• 3. to evaluate and test operationally the application
• f compiled benthic physical loss pressure layers

(WKBEDPRES2, 30 Sep -2 Oct 2019).

Report: WKBEDLOSS

D6C1/C4 Physical loss

WKBEDLOSS

• Main outcomes:
• Definitions of disturbance and loss, based on
• perational use of data
• Loss: sealing, non-sealing, biogenic habitat
• Reviewed main activities (MSFD Annex III)

causing loss per region –> similar in all 4 EU regions

• Clarified needs of 2017 Decision (MSFD broad

habitat types and EUNIS level 2, ‘subdivision’ scales of assessment)

• Defined data flows for main activities in

preparation for WKBEDPRES2 in Q3 2019

D6C1/C4 Physical loss