Statistical units for coastal accountsStatistical units for coastal accounts

Andrus Meiner, EEA

EEA expert workshop, 12 May 2011

Coastal Zone

Off-shore area

Catchments

Tourism

Marine energy

Aggregate materials

ICZM / Marine Spatial Planning Marine

ecosystems

Maritimetransport

Fisheries

Human dimension

Aquaculture

Land basedpollution

Natura2000 at sea

Marine Protected

Areas

Coastal accounts and ecosystem Coastal accounts and ecosystem appraochappraoch

Coasts as human ecosystems: Europe’s coasts are result of interaction of human and natural processes

• Natural systems– River basins and coastal waters– Coastal sediment systems (cells)– Marine (sub)regions– Coastal ecosystems (broad scale types)

• Human systems– Coastal regions (statistical units)– Governance (coastal management plans)– Developement and resource use (economic sectors)

Ecosystem approach in accounting Ecosystem approach in accounting practicepractice

• Data availability

– Spatial data coverage to populate coastal units across sea/land interface

– Sufficient and balanced represenation of human and natural coastal processes

• Policy relevancy

– Spatial management units use ecosystem-based approach – Policy concepts and related reporting data flows

• Methodology used for accounting

– Spatial accounting units (data model) is adequately representing the reality

– Sound assumptions for models and frameworks for data ingtegration

Spatially explicit accounting for Spatially explicit accounting for ecological value and pressures ecological value and pressures

Modular approach

• expand from change in physical stocks to ecosystem functions and services

• broaden spatial extent from land to coastal waters and to the sea (TW, EEZ and High seas)

Land accounting in 10 km coastal zoneLand accounting in 10 km coastal zone

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1

Artificial Areas ArableLand

Pastures Forested Land

Semi-natural OpenSpaces

Wetlands Water bodiesNet land cover change within the 0-10 km coastal zone 2000-2006 (preliminary results based on 15 MS)

Proposal step 1Proposal step 1Starting with known e.g. coastal landStarting with known e.g. coastal land

• Basic ingredients for delineation

• Coastal catchments to address ecosystems integrity

• Dominant landscape types for broad-scale ecosystems

• Elevation zones to address vulnerability

• Keep in mind the need to assimilate data on

• human population density

• status of key habitat types

• socio-economic drivers

• governance perspective – coastal management units

Coastal waters and EEZCoastal waters and EEZSource: BIOMES - Marine Ecosystem Services, JRC/IES, contact Camino LiqueteSource: BIOMES - Marine Ecosystem Services, JRC/IES, contact Camino Liquete

Proposal step 2 Proposal step 2 ... continue to include the sea... continue to include the sea

• Starting point: coastal accounting units on land

– Add coastal waters (e.g. WFD water bodies)

• Towards marine accounts– Add marine compartments / sub-regions– Use broad-scale seabed habitat types

Territorial water lim

it (4-12 nm)

Territorial water lim

it (4-12 nm)

EEZ limit

EEZ limit

baseline limit

baseline limit

Territorial watersTerritorial waters

Member States Member States sovereignty or sovereignty or

jurisdiction watersjurisdiction waters

Inner watersInner waters

High seasHigh seas(UN Conventions)(UN Conventions)

Marine Marine (sub)regions(sub)regions

1 nautical mile limit (W

FD)

1 nautical mile limit (W

FD)

River basins, inland and River basins, inland and coastal water bodies, coastal water bodies,

GENERAL applicability GENERAL applicability of EU policy for of EU policy for

delineation of coastal delineation of coastal spatial units spatial units

Coastal zone Coastal zone management management

unitsunits

Coastal habitats and Coastal habitats and speciesspecies

Maritime economy, Maritime economy, including fishingincluding fishing

Sub-basins Sub-basins and coastal and coastal waterswaters

Coastal water Coastal water typestypes

Norway Norway example: example: Nature Value Nature Value Index Index frameworkframework

Source: Certain et al., 2011

Annex – examples of coastal unitsAnnex – examples of coastal units

Socio-economic dataEUROSTAT Coastal regions of EU Sea basins

Source: Eurostat, GISCO

Relative size of sea basin catchments

Water legislationEU Water Framework Directive: River basin districts include a stretch of coastal water

River catchmentsRiver catchmentsCoastal catchments and lower courses of large basinsCoastal catchments and lower courses of large basins

Seabed landscapesSeabed landscapesBroad-scale seabed habitat maps (EMODnet / EUSeaMap) Broad-scale seabed habitat maps (EMODnet / EUSeaMap)

Source: www.jncc.gov.uk/EUSeaMapSource: www.jncc.gov.uk/EUSeaMap

Coastal water qualityCoastal water qualityAlgal biomass distributions (GMES/MARCOAST MERIS data)

Coastal unit?Coastal unit?

Coastal ecosystemsCoastal ecosystemsEU Habitats directive, status of coastal habitat typesEU Habitats directive, status of coastal habitat types

Coastal habitat type Overall conservation status per biogeographical regionGreen – favourableOrange – unfavourable-inadequateRed – unfavourable-badGrey – unknown

Baltic Atlantic Macaronesian Mediterranean

Boreal Continental

Sandbanks slightly covered by sea water all the time

Data not available

Large shallow inlets and bays Data not available

Coastal lagoons

Mudflats and sand flats not covered by seawater by low tide

Estuaries Not occurring Data not available

Reefs

Boreal Baltic islets and small islands Not occurring Not occurring Not occurring

Posidonia beds Not occurring Not occurring Not occurring

Atlantic salt meadows Not occurring

Source: EEA/ETC-BD, Habitats directive Art 17 data base

Lower limit of Lower limit of PosidoniaPosidonia

Range of 0.84 – 1.08% Range of 0.84 – 1.08% surface light reaching the surface light reaching the

seabed to describe seabed to describe infralittoral zoneinfralittoral zone

Source: EUSeaMap projectSource: EUSeaMap project

Zones of high riskZones of high riskElevation above sea level: coastal lowland Elevation above sea level: coastal lowland

European population below 5 m elevation and inside 1 km coastal zone

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

100000

110000

120000

130000

1 23 45 67 89 111 133 155 177 199 221 243 265 287 309 331 353 375 397

NUTS3 regions

po

pu

lati

on

Mapping vulnerability

Decision: Areas with flooding risk in Estonia, March 2007Decision: Areas with flooding risk in Estonia, March 2007