Leonie Robinson ODEMM Project Coordinator ODEMM perspective on MSP Joint project meeting Edinburgh, Sep 2011

Leonie RobinsonODEMM Project Coordinator

ODEMM perspective on MSP

Joint project meetingEdinburgh, Sep 2011

March 2010 - August 2013• Options for Delivering Ecosystem-based Marine

Management (ODEMM)

AIM: To develop a set of fully-costed ecosystem management options that would deliver the objectives of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Habitats Directive, the European Commission Blue Book and the Guidelines for the Integrated Approach to Maritime Policy.


EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive• Goal – to achieve GES in Europe’s seas by 2020• ODEMM’s management options must be coherent

with the MSFD in terms of objectives, implementation and governance.


Timeline for MSFD taken from UK perspective (DEFRA)


ODEMM

We are coming up with tools, knowledge and strategies that will help to implement the MSFD (novel work).....

MSFD DescriptorsD1: Biological diversity is maintained. The quality and occurrence

of habitats and the distribution and abundance of species are in line with prevailing physiographic, geographic and climatic conditions.

D2: Non-indigenous species introduced by human activities are at levels that do not adversely alter the ecosystems.

D3: Populations of all commercially exploited fish and shellfish are within safe biological limits, exhibiting a population age and size distribution that is indicative of a healthy stock.

D4: All elements of the marine food webs, to the extent that they are known, occur at normal abundance and diversity and levels capable of ensuring the long-term abundance of the species and the retention of their full reproductive capacity.


MSFD DescriptorsD5: Human-induced eutrophication is minimised, especially adverse

effects thereof, such as losses in biodiversity, ecosystem degradation, harmful algae blooms and oxygen deficiency in bottom waters.

D6: Sea-floor integrity is at a level that ensures that the structure and functions of the ecosystems are safeguarded and benthic ecosystems, in particular, are not adversely affected.

D7: Hydrographical conditions.., D8: Contaminants in the environment, D9: Contaminants in seafood, D10: Marine Litter, D11: Underwater noise

A mixture of state and pressure-based descriptors


ODEMM perspective on MSP?1. Will management measures relevant to all descriptors have a

spatial context?2. Can MSP be a useful tool to try and select for management

measures that ensure multiple gains (across descriptors) on GES within particular areas?


Space and boundaries for the MSFD• Four marine regions• Member States sharing a region obliged to cooperate so that

objectives can be achieved at the regional scale; must be coherent and coordinated regionally

• Reality – MSs implementing for their sea areas with some regional cooperation through regional sea conventions and/or the commission’s working groups



Baltic SeaMediterranean SeaNorth East Atlantic OceanEEZ Boundaries

Atlantic OceanBay of Biscay & Iberian CoastCeltic SeaGreater north Sea

Marine Sub-regionsAdriatic SeaAegean-Levantine SeaIonian SeaW. Mediterranean Sea

Marine Regions


spatial context?2. Can MSP be a useful tool to try and ensure multiple gains on

GES within particular areas?3. Given the commitment to cooperate regionally, but the

reality of initial progress being MS driven, can MSP contribute in viewing overall regional problems and gains from the combined efforts of implementing measures?



1 2

3

4

ODEMM

Case study areas – not yet fully defined but ...

Objective 1: To provide a comprehensive knowledge base to support policy for the development of sustainable and integrated management of European marine ecosystems.

(Ds 1-4)[WPs 1 & 2]

• WPs 1 and 2 complete• WP 1 Outputs: Technical report (D1) and tools – linkage

framework, pressure assessment, metadata database, summary of threats relevant to GES in all regional seas

• WP2 Outputs: 3 journal articles – legal, institutional and sectoral perspectives on implementation of MSFD (and EA)


Objective 2: To develop Operational Objectives to achieve the High-Level Policy Objectives set by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive, and with reference to the proposed Maritime Policy. (Ds 5-6) [WP 3]

• WP3 complete• WP3 Outputs: Review of HLOs relevant to the MSFD and across

regional seas, Risk assessment methodology for match of current status to GES (applied to all regional seas), Review of available operational objectives for high threat HLOs


Summaries for each GES descriptor in each regional sea plus all background information (D1, Annexes 1-4)

ODEMM tools: linkage framework


spatial context?2. Can MSP be a useful tool to try and ensure multiple gains on

GES within particular areas?3. Given the commitment to cooperate regionally, but the reality

of initial progress being MS driven, can MSP contribute in viewing overall regional problems and gains from the combined efforts of implementing measures?

4. Tools developed in WPs 1 and 3 can all be applied within the context of MSP (e.g. Pressure assessment, risk assessment)

5. Knowledge gained from WP 2 reveals governance reality in terms of potential for implementing MSFD (some spatial issues)


Deliverables 1st reporting period


Del no. WP Name Status

1 1 Tech report: Status of regional seas re. Sustainability

Complete

2 2 Journal article: European law/policy Published

3 2 Journal article: positions on EA and policy process towards MSFD

Submitted

4 2 Journal article: implications different perspectives on implementing MSFD and EA

Submitted

5 3 Journal article: HLOs, methodology for assessing and results using regional seas

In prep

6 3 Tech report: regional reporting on potential operational objectives for failing HLOs

Complete

18 9 Project website Online

20 11/12 1st Interim report Aug 2011

Objective 3: To identify Management Options (individual management tools and combinations of tools) to meet the Operational Objectives. (Ds 7-8) [WP 4]

• Identify human activities most likely to compromise meeting operational objectives

• Develop and formally evaluate a range of management strategies or options for these activities using different types of measures and tools

• Consider the resources required in terms of infrastructure and governance to enforce the management strategies evaluated


Objective 4: To provide a risk assessment framework for the evaluation of Management Options and to assess the risk associated with the different options. (Ds 9-10) [WP 5]

• Identification of different sources of risk to meeting operational objectives

• Design of a risk assessment framework able to deal with a range of risk types

• Application of risk assessment for a selection of operational objectives in each (sub) region under different scenarios (management strategies from WP4 contrasted with do-nothing scenarios)


Objective 5: To conduct a cost-benefit analysis of a range of Management Options using appropriate techniques. (Ds 11-12) [WP 6]

• Measure the cost of policy inaction (COPI) in the four study regions, in terms of deterioration in provision of ecosystem goods and services (EGSs)

• Estimate the costs and monetary benefits of each specified management option, measured in terms of change in provision of EGSs relative to do-nothing scenario

• Produce a web-based tool allowing users to juxtapose costs and benefits of different management options and actions


Objective 6: ID stakeholder opinions on creation of governance structures directed towards implementation of the EA and to elaborate different scenarios for changing governance structures and legislation to facilitate a gradual transition from the current fragmented management approach towards fully integrated ecosystem management. (Ds 13-15) [WP 7]

• Stakeholder consultation on governance structures required to implement sorts of management scenarios

• Investigate legal constraints and opportunities to improving implementation at EU and regional level

• Elaborate and consult on different scenarios for changing governance structures and legislation where required


Objective 7: To document the steps necessary for the transition from the current fragmented management scheme to a mature and integrated approach, and to provide a toolkit that could be used to evaluate options for delivering ecosystem-based management. (Ds 16-17) [WP 8]

• ID social, economic, ecological and institutional obstacles to achieving objectives in an EA

• Produce an accessible guide to the toolkit of techniques required to evaluate options and actions

• Produce an Implementation Plan for the steps required to achieve the transition to an integrated EA


Documents

Leonie Robinson ODEMM Project Coordinator ODEMM perspective on MSP Joint project meeting Edinburgh, Sep 2011