Managing the Marine Environment, Conceptual Models and Assessment Considerations for the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Smith, Christopher J.; Papadopoulou, Nadia; Barnard, Steve; Mazik, Krysia; Elliott, Michael; Patrício, Joana; Solaun, Oihana; Little, Sally; Bhatia, Natasha; Borja, Ángel

doi:10.3389/fmars.2016.00144

Cited by 52 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 79 publications

(96 reference statements)

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“…As one example, we can include activities which create the major pathways of human pressures, the state changes they involve in the marine system and the impacts this has on society, its welfare and well-being (Scharin et al, 2016;Smith et al, 2016). Such modifications will expand our understanding of biodiversity using the influential parameters relevant for the specific purpose of the individual biodiversity assessment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is Marine Biodiversity? Towards Common Concepts and Their Implications for Assessing Biodiversity Status

Cochrane

Andersen²,

Berg

et al. 2016

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Biodiversity' is one of the most common keywords used in environmental sciences, spanning from research to management, nature conservation, and consultancy. Despite this, our understanding of the underlying concepts varies greatly, between and within disciplines as well as among the scientists themselves. Biodiversity can refer to descriptions or assessments of the status and condition of all or selected groups of organisms, from the genetic variability, to the species, populations, communities, and ecosystems. However, a concept of biodiversity also must encompass understanding the interactions and functions on all levels from individuals up to the whole ecosystem, including changes related to natural and anthropogenic environmental pressures. While biodiversity as such is an abstract and relative concept rooted in the spatial domain, it is central to most international, European, and national governance initiatives aimed at protecting the marine environment. These rely on status assessments of biodiversity which typically require numerical targets and specific reference values, to allow comparison in space and/or time, often in association with some external structuring factors such as physical and biogeochemical conditions. Given that our ability to apply and interpret such assessments requires a solid conceptual understanding of marine biodiversity, here we define this and show how the abstract concept can and needs to be interpreted and subsequently applied in biodiversity assessments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is Marine Biodiversity? Towards Common Concepts and Their Implications for Assessing Biodiversity Status

Cochrane

Andersen²,

Berg

et al. 2016

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…With the tendency towards evidence-based policy-making, there is or should be a common area that scientists and policy-makers can rely on, using the same kind of diagrams to communicate. In this way, Smith et al [34] (p. 4) consider conceptual models "diagrams which bring together and summarise information from many areas". Applied to the water domain, this kind of diagram is called water balances by the European Commission [35].…”

Section: Gasi: Governance By Actor-subject Impact Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, a model should also not be over-simplified [34]. There is an evolution towards models becoming more descriptive in the sense of (eco)system functioning, and balances collecting only relevant data for decision-making.…”

Section: Water Balances For Water Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

Using DPSIR and Balances to Support Water Governance

Vannevel

2018

Water

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Abstract:The DPSIR framework has proven to be an effective communication tool, but has become subject to criticism upon increasing practical application. It is assumed that this is the consequence of the combination of terminological unclarity, absence of a methodological description for analyzing disturbances, and a confined conceptual basis when dealing with complex environmental issues. DPSIR has been embedded within the broader conceptual Pentatope Model (PTM), by making use of an 'interface' called GASI. GASI, which means Governance by Actor-Subject Impact Assessment, deals explicitly with governance as a framework and impact analysis as a process. The result is an extended version of DPSIR. Illustrated by means of a water balance, the importance of a combined PTM-GASI-DPSIR tool for impact assessments to support evidence-based governance is shown.

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“…On the other hand, different types of indicators reflecting Responses, Measures, Drivers and Pressures are needed to demonstrate the effects of management efforts and to advice the policy development (Rapport and Hilden, 2013). As stated earlier, management needs also descriptive indicators, performance indicators, efficiency indicators and total welfare indicators (Smeets and Weterings, 1999).…”

Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…An indicator is intended to highlight the status of the system and, for e.g., the European Environmental Agency recognizes distinct types of indicators depending on what they address: descriptive indicators, performance indicators, efficiency indicators, and total welfare indicators (Smeets and Weterings, 1999). The term should therefore be distinguished from index, an aggregation of indicators into a single representation (Rees et al, 2008).…”

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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Managing the Marine Environment, Conceptual Models and Assessment Considerations for the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Cited by 52 publications

References 79 publications

What Is Marine Biodiversity? Towards Common Concepts and Their Implications for Assessing Biodiversity Status

What Is Marine Biodiversity? Towards Common Concepts and Their Implications for Assessing Biodiversity Status

Using DPSIR and Balances to Support Water Governance

A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators

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