IEMAS-Elaboration, training and implementation of indicators for marine mammals in the framework of the MSFD (regional and national), as well as their technical representation at BLANO, OSPAR, HELCOM and ICES.

Project description

The species group of marine mammals represents a relevant ecosystem component in German marine waters. According to the latest assessment of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC, MSFD), marine mammals in the North Sea and Baltic Sea have not achieved good conservation status. Good data bases as well as scientifically robust approaches to assessing status are needed to adopt measures that will subsequently lead to good conservation status for the respective populations of marine mammal species. To ensure that these data are as comprehensive, comparable, and area-wide as possible, regional coordination of monitoring and indicators used for assessment is essential. Because marine mammals are highly mobile species, it is also imperative from a scientific perspective to coordinate and review the implementation of indicators and the effectiveness of monitoring at the international level. In addition, the development of the indicators is an important tool for future research concepts in the monitoring field and requires the results, scientific analyses and approaches to the design of the indicators to be brought into the international process.

The goal of this project is to further develop data-based, regionally accepted indicators for assessing the status of marine mammals in the North and Baltic Seas and to bring them to national and regional agreement. Different approaches to assess the status of biodiversity under the MSFD will be developed, refined and harmonized at international, regional and national levels. They are used nationally as well as regionally and internationally in marine conservation conventions (relevant for Germany: Oslo-Paris Commission (OSPAR) and Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)) by numerous bodies and working groups (e.g. under the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)). The cooperation regarding the MSFD and partially the Council Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora will be organised within the framework of BLANO in Germany.

Scientists at the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) Foundation have in the past developed or implemented national and international research projects as well as monitoring concepts with a focus on marine mammals, so that long-standing data series, expert knowledge and basic principles for the design of indicators are available and can be incorporated into the process. A continuous cooperation is necessary in the various working groups, in order to guarantee a sufficient incorporation of German research results and indicator concepts on international level. This is enabled within the framework of this project.

"Recent assessments"

Quality Status Report 2023  https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/quality-status-reports/qsr-2023/

HELCOM HOLAS 3 https://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-trends/holistic-assessments/