EMMA (1) 05/8/1
Meeting of the Working Group on European Marine Monitoring and Assessment (EMMA)
Copenhagen, 8 – 9 February 2005
Report of the Meeting
0.Opening of the meeting
1.Ben van de Wetering (chair of emma) welcomed participants to Copenhagen and thanked ICES for offering to host the fourth meeting of EMMA. The list of participants is at Annex 1.
- Adoption of the Agenda
2.The agenda of the meeting was approved without comments. A copy is at Annex 2.
2.Progress with the development of the marine strategy
3.The Commission reported on progress with the development of the Marine Strategy since the stakeholder conference in Rotterdam on 10-12 November 2004. In particular, the Commission indicated that on 8 December 2004 the advice from ICES on the identification of eco-region had been circulated to regional marine and fisheries conventions with a request to provide comments by 1 March 2005. For a second step in the consultation process on eco-regions, the Commission will convene on 1 April 2005 in Brussels a joint meeting of the Marine Strategy Working Group on Strategic Goals and Objectives (SGO) and the Inter-Organisational Consultation Forum (IOCF).
4.The e-mail and the advice from ICES will be circulated to EMMA participants.
5.In addition, the Commission indicated that work was on track to publish the ‘Marine Strategy’ by July 2005. It was envisaged that the total package would have the following parts:
- a Background document describing present situation;
- a guidance document on the ecosystem approach;
- a ‘Communication’ on the actual ‘Marine Strategy’
- most probably a proposal for a legal framework to implement the strategy within the EU
- an assessment of the (economic) impact of the proposals.
3.Arrangements for the meeting
6.Following agreements made at EMMA June 2004, the following 3 sub-groups were established:
- biodiversity: Lisette Enserink (NL) acted as chairperson of this group and Richard Emmerson (OSPAR) as rapporteur;
- eutrophication: StephenMalcolm (UK) acted as chairman of this group, and Colin Moffat (UK) as rapporteur;
- hazardous substances: HartmutHeinrich(Germany) acted as chairman of this group, and Andrea Weiss (OSPAR) as rapporteur.
7.The general task of the three sub-groups was to prepare contributions for a plenary discussion regarding the development of a roadmap towards a Common Approach on European Monitoring and Assessment in accordance with the guidance circulated in August 2004.
8.The three subgroups met in parallel during the rest of the first day of the meeting.
4.Road Map towards a Common Approach on European Monitoring and Assessment
9.The EEA announced that the tender titled “Outline for Pan-European assessments of the marine environment based on the concept of Large Marine Ecosystems” has been awarded to the UNEP World Conservation and Monitoring Centre (WCMC), Cambridge, UK. The term of the contract is 6 months and it should terminate on 20 June 2005. EEA suggested that the tender could be used to further the work of EMMA, however, that would require concise formulation of questions to be delivered to the UNEP WCMC for inclusion in the interim (mid-April) and final (June) reports.
10.The three sub-groups who met in parallel on the first day of the meeting presented the outcome of the discussion as reflected:
- on biodiversity in Annex 3;
- on eutrophication in Annex 4;
- on hazardous substances in Annex 5.
11.The following points were made in a plenary discussion:
a.there are particular difficulties in structuring a Pan-European assessment regarding biodiversity due to the low level of coordinated data collection. Therefore, as a first step, the marine conventions were invited to compile information from biodiversity assessments in order to further develop the approach for an assessment of marine biodiversity document on biodiversity. The group proposed to focus on three strands of work:
- assessment of the impact of human activities on biodiversity;
- assessment of the status of the ecosystem;
- evaluating progress in implementing the ecosystem approach
b.it was suggested that the EEA should use the ongoing tender on large marine ecosystems to bring forward new suggestions and ideas on how the biodiversity issues could be presented in the Pan-European assessment;
c.it was suggested that the process of preparing Pan-European assessments was an iterative learning process, aimed,inter alia, at gathering knowledge required to further develop the ecosystem approach. In the light of this it was also suggested that that the de-limitation of eco-regions should be periodically reviewed;
d.a stocktaking of the existing and planned assessment reports was suggested. These reports could be used as building blocks in a Pan-European assessment;
e.the question was raised as to how results of monitoring under the WFD monitoring would feed into a Pan-European assessment;
f.the view was expressed that the eco-regions proposed by ICES were too large for a proper assessment of eutrophication and that a finer division of marine waters would be necessary, particularly to ensure compatibility with eutrophication vulnerability and oxy-risk models (e.g. those developed by DG JRC);
g.it was stressed that an inventory of pollution sources should be an inherent part of the assessment.
h.to the extent that climate change had an impact on the sources, pathways and impacts concerning contaminants, this would need to be addressed in the hazardous substances section of the assessment report. In addition, a separate chapter, dealing horizontally with climate change, would need to be included in a pan-European assessment report.
12.After further discussion EMMA agreed that:
a.without approving the text in detail, to use the results of the discussion in the three subgroups (cf. Annexes 3-5) as a starting point for further work;
b.Pan-European assessmentsof the status of the marine environment should be carried out as a joint effort of EEA, regional marine and fisheries organisationsand European countries;
c.any such assessment should be based on the existing assessments carried out by regional marine and fisheries organisations. Processed information instead of raw data should be used;
d.a stocktaking of the available and planned assessment products from the regional marine and fisheries organisationsshould be conducted so as to provide a basis for future assessments and in order to:
-avoid duplication of work;
-identify gaps in knowledge.
e.noting that EMMA would continue to be responsible for the overall process of coordinating and delivering a pan-European Marine Assessment in support of the European Marine Strategy and for practical reasons, to established a Core Group (CG) to facilitate this work.
The CG should be co-chaired by DG ENV and EEA and consist of representatives of DG JRC and of the Secretariats of the regional marine and fisheries organisations and ICES. Further experts, for instance chairmen of pertinent working groups of the regional marine and fisheries organisations, would be invited to participate when necessary. In addition it was agreed that:
(i)names of participants of the Core Group should be communicated to the chairman of EMMA not later than 23 February;
(ii)DG ENV and EEA will elaborate draft Terms of Reference for the Core Group. This draft will be circulated (by e-mail) to EMMA participants for their comments.
f.The Core Groupwould make proposals for consideration by EMMA, inter alia, regarding a peer review process and stakeholder consultation for a draft Pan-European assessment to secure scientific soundness and transparency of the process.
In this respect, it was suggested that a draft assessment should be presented to EU Water Directors. It was also suggested that DG JRC in cooperation with ICES could organize the scientific review process.
5.Interfacing between research and policy
13.JRC informed EMMA about the outcome of the discussion at the last IOCF meeting (on 28 September 2004) regarding the of interface between research and policy on marine issues (cf. EMMA(1) 05/1/1).
14.EMMA agreedthat regarding improvement of interfaces between marine research and policy in the context of the European Marine Strategy the role of the IOCF should be to:
a.assist in identifying priorities for joint work in the framework of the European Marine Strategy, both in the short-term and the long-term perspective;
b. provide advice on these priorities to EU bodies responsible for funding marine research programmes and bodies involved in coordinating marine research.
and that ICES and DG JRC should serve as 'lead organisations' in terms of work on the interface between scientific research and policy. In the light of that, EMMA also agreedthat it should play a role in identifying areas of interest for possible fundingunder FP7 taking into account e.g. the stocktaking of available assessments and gaps in knowledge that have been identified in these reports.
15.DG JRC will coordinate with DG RTD to present at the next EMMA meeting an overview of relevant marine research projects that have been funded so far by EC.
6.Future meetings
16.EMMA agreed to convene a next meeting on 31 May – 1 June 2005 at the EEA in Copenhagen.
7.Any other business
17.EMMA agreed that the report of the meeting should be circulated to WCMC for consideration and possible use in their work (cf. §9. above).
18.EMMA took note of information provided by the representative of the European Anglers Alliance regarding the definition of recreational angling and on a study of the economic and social importance of marine sport fisheries. The two documents circulated at the meeting will be uploaded at CIRCA.
8.Report of the meeting
19.The report of the meeting was agreed upon by correspondence.
8-1 EMMA(1) 2005, Report of the Meeting - final1
Annex 1
List of Participants
Name / Organisation / Address / E-mailVan de Wetering Ben, Chair / European Commission / 200 rue de la Loi
Office BU9 3-174 /
Wlodarczyk, Ewa, Co-chair / European Environment Agency (EEA)
Marine and Coastal Environment / Kongens Nytorv 6
DK-1050 Copenhagen K
Denmark /
Bysveen Mjolnerod,Ingrid / Directorate for Nature Management / N-7485 Trondheim /
Carere,Mario / Italy –National Institute for Health / General Direction Quality of Life /
Carlberg, Stig / Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) / Nya Varvet, 31
426 71 Västra Frölunda
Sweden /
Chaussepied,Marcel / Insitut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer / Direction Environnement
Centre de Brest
B.P.70
29280 Plouzane
France /
Connor,David / Joint Nature Conservation Committee / City Road
Peterborough
PE1 1JY
United Kingdom /
Emmerson,Richard / OSPAR / New Court
48 Carey Street
London
WC2A 2JQ
United Kingdom /
Enserink,Lisette / Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Managament
National Institut for Coastal and Marin Management /RIKZ / P.O. Box 20907
2500 EX The Hague /
Evans,Sverker / Swedish Environmental Protection Agency / : SE-106 48 STOCKHOLM,
Sweden /
Ganne,Odile / Ministère de l'Ecologie et du Développement Durable - Direction de l'Eau / Ministère de l'Ecologie et du Développement Durable
Direction de l'Eau
20 avenue de Ségur
75007 Paris
France /
Heinrich,Hartmut / BSH / Secretariat BLMP /
Herata, Heike / Federal Environmental Agency / P.O. Box 330022
14191 Berlin
Germany /
Iversen,Per Erik / Norway / Norwegian Pollution Control Authority
PO Box 8100 Dep.
0032 Oslo /
Käär,Heidi / Estonia, Ministry of Environment - Water Department / NARVA mist. 7a
Tallinn
Estonia /
Kappel, Jan / European Anglers Alliance (EEA) / 47, rue de Luxembourg
1050 Brussels
Belgium /
Kellerman, Adi / ICES / H.C. Andersen Boulevard 44-46
DK-1553 Copenhagen /
Lascaratos,Alexandros / Representative Ministry of Environment, Greece / University of Athens
Dept. of applied Physics
university Campus, Bldg. PHYS-V
GR-15784 Athens /
Leppänen,Juha-Markku / Helsinki Commission HELCOM / Katajanokanlaituri 6 B
FIN-00160 Helsinki /
Magaletti,Erika / Italy/ ICRAM Central Institute for Marine Research / via di Casalotti, 300
00166 Rome
Italy /
Malcolm, Stephen / United Kingdom / CEFAS Lowestoft Laboratory
Pakefield Road
Lowestoft UK NR33 OHT /
McGovern,Evin / Marine Institute, Ireland / Galway Technology Park,
Parkmore
Galway,
Ireland /
Mo,Giulia / ICRAM/ROME / Istituto Centrale Ricerca scientifica e tecnologica applicata al Mare
Via di Casalotti 300
00166 Rome
Italy /
Moffat,Colin / Fisheries Research Services / 375 Victoria Road
Aberdeen
AB11 9DB
United Kingdom /
Moxon,Richard / United Kingdom / Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Ashdown House, 123
Victoria Street, London SW1 E 6DE /
Peterlin,Monika / Slovenia / Institute for Water of RS
Majdrihova 28 C
Ljubljana
Slovenia /
Polat-Beken, Colpan / UNEP/MAP MED POL / 48 Vas. Konstantinou Avenue
11635 Athens
Greece /
Roose, Patrick / Ministry for Economy, Energy, Foreign Trade and Science Policy, MUMM-RBINS / 3° en 23° Limeregimentsplein
B-8400 Oostende
Schrimpf,Wolfram / European Commission
Joint Research Center / T.P. 272
I-21020 ISPRA (VA) /
Vinhas,Tereza / Institute of Environment
Portugal / Rua da Murgueira – Zambujal
Apartado 7585 – Alfragide
P-2270-865
Portugal /
Weiss,Andrea / OSPAR Commission / New Court, 48
Carey Street
London
WC2A 2JQ
United Kingdom /
Wenzel,Christine / State Ministry for the Environment of Schleswig-Holstein /
Wilson,Simon / Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) / P.O. Box 8100 Dep.
NO-0032 Oslo
Norway /
8-1 EMMA(1) 2005, Report of the Meeting - final1
Annex 2
Agenda of the meeting
A.Plenary (8 February 2005)
0.Opening of the meeting
1.Adoption of the Agenda
2.Progress with the development of the marine strategy
3.Arrangements for the meeting
B.Discussion in three parallel sub-groups (8 February 2005)
C.Plenary (9 February 2005)
4.Road Map towards a Common Approach on European Monitoring and Assessment
5.Interfacing between research and policy
6.Future meetings
7.Any other business
8.Report of the meeting
Annex 3
Report of the sub-group on Biodiversity
An outline of ways and means to prepare a pan European assessment on marine biodiversity
I.Definition of biodiversity
1.For the purpose of this document marine biodiversity is used in accordance with relevant parts of the UN Convention of Biodiversity Article 2 that states:
“Biodiversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species between species and of ecosystems.”
II.Basic Principles for the first pan European Assessment of Biodiversity
2.The co-ordinated monitoring and assessment of biodiversity is a relatively early stage within the Marine Conventions. The assessment should therefore be a process of learning by doing, to focus and facilitate the development of:
a.tools;
b.information collection systems;
c.ecological objectives and indicators;
and to identify areas where harmonisation of monitoring and assessment is needed.
3.The assessment should be based upon existing and planned assessments and data collection systems under the Marine Conventions, EEA (ETC). There should be a balance between using the results of previous assessments prepared by the regional conventions and gathering data for the purpose of a pan-European assessment; these data should be assessed in conjunction with the organisations that have gathered it.
4.The aim should be to assess the status of biodiversity within each of the eco-regions adopted under the EMS. However, it is recognised that existing and planned assessments and existing data collection systems may not be organised on the basis of these eco-regions.
5.The assessment should make use of the DPSIR framework.
III.Obstacles to progress
6.Limitations of budgets and available time may force EMMA to think of prioritising aspects to be covered in the assessment. There is a need to identify more concrete actions and steps beyond those outlined in this document, taking account the capacities of the various parties to fulfil aspirations.
IV.Components of the assessment
7.The assessment should be built around three approaches:
a.assessing effects of human activities on biodiversity;
b.assessing the state of the ecosystem at a variety of levels, and;
c.assessing the implementation of the ecosystem approach.
V.Assessment of human activities
Requirements
8.An assessment of the impact of human activities of biodiversity should be developed on the basis of an inventory of available assessments and data collection systems on the driving forces and pressures of those human activities that have been identified for assessment by Marine Conventions
9.Aspects of interest are the distribution, intensity and duration of human activities. This kind of information could enable EMMA to compare the assessments done by the different Conventions.
10.The assessment should cover human activities that have impacts at a pan-European scale as well as those of importance for specific regions. Where human activities need to be assessed at pan –European level attention should be given to the harmonisation of the assessments between regions.
Organising an inventory of available information on pressures resulting from human activities that are relevant in a pan European-context
11. EMMA should carry out stocktaking of recent or planned assessments of human activities under the Marine Conventions.
12.On the basis of this compilation EMMA should identify those factors that should be assessed in a first pan-European assessment of pressures on biodiversity. The matrix at Appendix 1, which identifies the main effects of a list of human activities on marine species and habitats, could be used to analyse the responses. This human activites listed include issues that may be covered by assessments on Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication.
12.On the basis of this analysis, EMMA should:
a.decide which pressures should be assessed in first assessment, and;
b.assemble an inventory of data/assessments on pressures relevant for use in a pan-European assessment of biodiversity.
VI.Ecosystem Status
13.Ideally an assessment of the status of the ecosystem should be developed through the assessment of the status of habitats, species and (genetic diversity) and the structure and functioning of the ecosystem leading to an overall classification of the ecological status of each of the eco-regions, e.g. is the North Sea a healthy ecosystem? However the starting points for such work are at an early stage of development
14.A partial assessment of the status of species and habitats could be developed from available information on protected features (i.e. listed under EC Habitats and Birds directives or Barcelona Convention, HELCOM or OSPAR lists) but this would not provide a full picture of the status of the ecosystem. Additional activities are needed to assess the status of the wider ecosystem. Protected areas can be used as reference sites in the assessment of wider ecosystem status.
15.There is a need to take account of the impact of natural variability and change on ecosystem state in the assessment process.
16.As a first step EMMA should carry out a stocktaking of recent or planned assessments on biodiversity under the Marine Conventions.
Organising of an inventory of information on protected features
16.On the basis of the responses and, as necessary, further communication with the Marine Conventions and EC, EEA (ETC), EMMA should develop an inventory of the following: