Report on North Sea Pilot Project on Ecological Quality

0,78
MB Objectives

126
stron

6483
ID Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East

2006
rok Atlantic

Executive Summary

Récapitulatif .8

Chapter 1 - Introduction11

What is the North Sea Pilot Project on Ecological Quality Objectives?.11

Outline of this report.11

Origins of the proposed EcoQO system 12

General 12

Implementing the Esbjerg conclusions .13

The development of the North Sea ideas .13

Considering the different fields .14

The Fifth North Sea Conference 15

Bringing together the OSPAR and North Sea strands.15

Implementation of the Pilot Project 16

OSPAR’s further work and the possible extension to the rest of the OSPAR area.16

What is the added value of the ecological quality objectives to OSPAR?.17

Chapter 2 - Conceptual Description of the System of Ecological Quality Objectives 18

General18

Glossary 18

What constitutes a good EcoQO?19

Aspects to be considered20

Structuring the process .21

The task of OSPAR in relation to EcoQOs 21

Making the EcoQO system complete.23

Chapter 3 - Relationships between Human Activities and EcoQOs .26

General relationship between the system of EcoQOs and the OSPAR strategies26

Climate change 27

How the system of EcoQOs will reflect human activities that may have adverse effects on the

marine environment .28

Hazardous substances – discharge, emissions and losses .28

Radioactive substances – discharges, emissions and losses 28

Eutrophication .28

Offshore oil and gas industry 29

Other human activities 29

Protection of marine biodiversity.32

Chapter 4 - Evaluation of the North Sea Pilot Project on EcoQOs33

Introduction .33

General aspects of the EcoQOs 33

Organisation of the EcoQOs.33

Eutrophication EcoQOs33

The way forward44

Chapter 5 - Links to Other Major Instruments.46

The developing European Marine Strategy .46

The EC Water Framework Directive 47

Other EC instruments.49

The EC Birds and Habitats Directives 49

Other relevant EC Directives 49

The EC Common Fisheries Policy49

The Bonn Agreement, MARPOL and IMO Conventions49

Chapter 6 - Implementing the EcoQOs 51

What needs to be achieved?51

Options.51

Costs 51

Chapter 7 - Completing the EcoQO System 54

The internal (food-web-based) approach.54

The external (impact-related) approach.55

Marine protected areas 56

Conclusion 56

Chapter 8 - Views of Stakeholders .57

Role of EcoQOs .57

Form of EcoQOs 58

Communicating EcoQOs58

Spatial and sectoral implications of EcoQOs.59

Other points.59

Chapter 9 - Communicating EcoQOs .61

Target groups61

Aims of the communication on EcoQOs 61

Communication message.61

Communication means 62

Implementation.63

Planning .63

Evaluation .64

Chapter 10 - Conclusions and Recommendations .65

General65

Global climatic change .65

Types, adoption and application of EcoQOs65

Structure of the system of EcoQOs .65

Eutrophication EcoQOs66

Individual EcoQOs .66

The way forward69

Completing the EcoQO System.69

Communications 69

Annex 1: Descriptions of the ten advanced EcoQOs .70

Spawning stock biomass of commercial fish species 70

Seal population trends in the North Sea 73

Bycatch of harbour porpoises 75

Oiled Guillemots78

Imposex in dogwhelk Nucella lapillus 80

Integrated set of Ecological Quality Objectives for Nutrients and Eutrophication Effects82

Annex 2 - Descriptions of the eleven less advanced EcoQOs 99

Threatened and declining species .99

Utilisation of seal breeding sites in the North Sea .101

Mercury concentrations in seabird eggs and feathers .103

Organochlorine concentrations in seabird eggs.105

Plastic particles in the stomach of seabirds.107

Local sandeel availability to black-legged kittiwakes .109

Seabird population trends as an index of seabird community health 111

Fish communities .113

Density of sensitive (e.g. fragile) species.115

Density of opportunistic species 117

Restore and/or maintain habitat quality .119

Annex 3 - Summary of links between strategies, impacts, pressures & EcoQO.121

Annex 4 - Future work123