Suchergebnisse

In 2008, the guideline for establishing a framework for Community action in the field of marine environment (Marine Strategy Framework Directive - MSFD, 2008/56/EG) was published. The overall objective of the guideline is to achieve and/or maintain a good status of the marine environment before the year 2020. The good environmental status has to be defined in accordance with qualitative Descriptors as listed in Annex I and specified through respective Criteria and Indicators given by the European commission. While recent projects have focussed mainly on the so-called 'state' Descriptors of the MSFD, the focus of the current project has been on 'pressure' and 'impact' Descriptors. For these, assessment systems were not yet available. Within the project, we have been identifed existing deficits and presented possible solutions, for example by developing respective assessment systems. For Descriptor 2 (non-indigenous, invasive species) an assessment system has been developed which considers the amount of foreign species within an ecosystem, the impact on native communities, and the trend indicator. The approach proposed for Descriptor 6 (seafloor integrity) is based on modelling the impact by combining pressure-specific sensitivity information for benthic habitats with data on the spatial and temporal extent of physical loss and damage. Due to large gaps in knowledge on pressures and impacts on hydrographical conditions and ecosystem components, it is currently not possible to present a detailed assessment concept for Descriptor 7 (hydrographical conditions). Instead, a first draft of an assessment concept is briefly outlined as a basic framework which should be open to changes and adaptable for future developments in research. One of the most important stressors in the marine environment is the chemical pollution which is covered by Descriptor 8 (contaminants). Initially, relevance of the contaminants, environmental quality targets, the biological effects in common, and the effects on marine mammals in particular have been examined. For Descriptor 10 (marine litter) an assessment system for litter on beaches has been developed. Concerning litter at the water surface, within the water column, and at the seafloor (particularly fisheries nets) existing data have been analysed to suggest environmental quality targets and effective monitoring strategies. In addition, the impact on marine birds has been examined when swallowing up litter. Moreover, possible approaches for an overall assessment concept for 'the good environmental status' according to the MSFD have been developed, with special regard to the results of recent MSFD projects.