-
Milestone 1 WP 1
DEVOTES Ca ta logue o f Mon i to r i ng Ne tworks
M i l e s t o n e 1
Dissemination level
Public
T h i s c a t a l o g u e i s i n w o r k i n g p r o g r e s s a n d t h e f i n a l v e r s i o n w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e i n N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 3 . I f y o u h a v e a n y i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t y o u w o u l d l i k e t o i n c l u d e i n t h i s
c a t a l o g u e , p l e a s e c on t a c t K r y s i a Maz i k ( k .ma z i k@hu l l . a c . u k )
LEAD CONTRACTOR
UHULL – UNIVERSITY OF HULL
AUTHORS
Krysia Mazik (UHULL), Joana Patrício (JRC), Heliana Teixeira (JRC), Sally Little (UHULL), Mike Elliott (UHULL), Nikolaos Zampoukas
(JRC), Jesper Andersen (AU), Torsten Berg (MARILIM), Angel Borja (AZTI), Laura Carugati (CONISMA), Sabine Cochrane (APN), Tanya
Churilova (MHI NASU), Roberto Danovaro (CONISMA), Olga Kryvenko (MHI NASU), Benoit Mialet (CNRS), Snejana Moncheva (IO‐
BAS), Alice Newton (NILU), Nathalie Niquil (CNRS), Nadia Papadopoulou (HCMR), Oihana Solaun (AZTI), Maria C. Uyarra (AZTI),
Pauline Vouriot (CNRS), Argyro Zeneto (HCMR)
SUBMISSION DATE
31 | October | 2013
-
2
-
Contents
1. Introduction..........................................................................................................................................1
2. Relationships with other DEVOTES deliverables and Work Packages..................................................1
3. Structure of the deliverable..................................................................................................................2
4. End users...............................................................................................................................................2
-
1
1. Introduction
Milestone 1 (and D1.3, Annex 2) is the Monitoring Networks Catalogue produced under DEVOTES Task
1.2.1 and Deliverable D1.3, in relation to Specific Objective 1.2. This task aimed to collate information on
the available monitoring networks within European Regional Seas, in the context of pressure‐related
monitoring, providing the basis for assessing biodiversity responses to pressures. The focus was on the
Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) biological diversity (D1), Non‐indigenous species(D2),
food‐webs (D4), and seafloor integrity (D6), as outlined in the EU COMM Decision of 2010 (COM Dec;
2010/477/EU). Therefore, all forms of monitoring that were not directly relevant to any of the above‐
mentioned descriptors and the MSFD itself (for example, those associated with compliance with licence
or consent conditions at a local scale) were not considered.
2. Relationships with other DEVOTES deliverables and
Work Packages
The catalogue will form the basis of a full gap analysis (D1.4) which, in the first instance, will aim to
identify regions where monitoring is completely lacking. This will include marine regions where GEnS
descriptors (D1, 2, 4 and 6), biodiversity components, habitat types and managed and un‐managed
pressures are not addressed through any on‐going monitoring programmes. At a more refined level,
gaps in Quality Assurance, the simultaneous collection of supporting physico‐chemical data (as means of
explaining the biological data) and the temporal and spatial frequency of sampling will be identified.
Identification of gaps in monitoring associated with pressures will provide an indication of gaps in the
current knowledge of pressure‐impact relationships.
Where monitoring in different geographic regions does address GEnS descriptors, biodiversity
components and pressures, a SWOT analysis (D1.4) will be carried out to assess the overall benefits of
those monitoring programmes for which access to detailed information is available. This will address, for
example, the number of biodiversity components or pressures (managed and/or unmanaged)
simultaneously targeted by each programme, together with the geographical scale. The programmes
where data are collected in such a way that pressure‐impact links can be established, with standardised
data collection over wide geographic areas, will be considered the strongest in terms of their ability to
-
Milestone 1 DEVOTES Catalogue of Monitoring Networks
enable assessment of GEnS. The temporal and spatial frequency of data collection will be assessed for
each programme as an indication of the potential for identifying trends/changes/impacts from the
associated data.
The catalogue itself, together with the gap and SWOT analysis in Deliverable 1.4 will feed directly into
Specific Objective 2.1 which aims to identify cost‐effective MSFD monitoring suitable for each Regional
Sea.
3. Structure of the deliverable
Metadata were collated in the catalogue (in excel format – D1.3_Annex2_DevotesCatalogue.xls)
following circulation around task participants and other DEVOTES partners to ensure that monitoring in
all Regional Seas was accounted for. Full instructions for completing the catalogue are presented in
Annex 1 of Deliverable 1.3. The catalogue aims to provide details of the way in which monitoring
programmes across Europe address:
a. Good Environmental Status (GEnS) descriptors
b. biodiversity components
c. different habitat types
d. pressures (local and widespread, manageable and unmanageable)
e. geographical coverage
Supporting information regarding the timescale of each monitoring programme, the degree of quality
assurance and the supporting parameters is provided in the catalogue as an indication of data quality.
4. End users
The catalogue will provide an overall perspective to Member States on on‐going monitoring
programmes and networks that can be used to assess the response of specific biodiversity components
to managed and un‐managed pressures in all Regional Seas at a range of spatial scales (sub‐region to
sub‐division to ecological assessment area). It will provide an essential resource to competent
authorities in Member States and non‐EU countries for identifying on‐going monitoring, research and
data‐sets for species and/or habitats of increasing conservation priority. Through this approach, the
catalogue will be of value in the development of comprehensive and coordinated monitoring networks
2
-
3
throughout Europe. It will therefore be of potential use to policy makers, government agencies and the
regulatory bodies ultimately responsible for implementing the MSFD and ensuring that GEnS is
achieved.
The catalogue will provide a basis for communication, coordination and cooperation of the work carried
out in the Regional Seas through International Conventions, Regional Sea Conventions, EU Directives,
National Monitoring and Research Programmes. It will enhance opportunities for data collation and
sharing, coordination and harmonisation of monitoring programmes between Member States.
Importantly, details of key contacts, data sources and timescales for data collection associated with each
monitoring programme are contained within the catalogue. This will enable Member States to optimise
their sampling by collating details of the spatial distribution, parameters and sampling frequency
associated with existing monitoring, thus enabling optimal sampling design to complement (rather than
replicate) existing monitoring efforts. Potentially, this could help to prevent duplication of sampling
effort between nations and help Member States to coordinate their monitoring in terms of timing of
their sampling, the parameters/data being collected and the geographical location, resulting in large,
coordinated data sets for the sub‐divisions of each Regional Sea.
This coordinated approach could provide important information for Member States when establishing
or recommending pressure—related monitoring strategies in their own waters (e.g. for the MSFD), by
assessing whether the existing monitoring is fit for purpose, providing remedies to deficiencies,
highlighting monitoring gaps, identifying elements that should be added to existing programmes and
making recommendations for future monitoring. Ultimately, this will provide a better indication of
whether or not GEnS has been achieved at the Regional Sea level than assessment of isolated data sets
alone.