IMPACT CHAIN - Impact of sector activities

 
 Evaluating the impact of sector activities on the marine environment (IMPACT CHAIN)
 

Acronym IMPACT CHAIN
Start & end date

jan 1009 - sept 2009

Client(s) & funding

DG ENV

Objectives

Provide a conceptual approach for EU memberstates to gain insight in the relative importance of driving forces, pressures and states/impacts at different spatial scales within MSFD ecoregions.

Summary

Regarding the implementation of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive it is stated that the determination of ‘good environmental status’ should be accompanied by clear information on the causative pressures and resulting impacts. Therefore, each European member state needs to perform an initial assessment of marine activities intended for the implementation of the Marine Strategy.

Under the authority of DG Environment, IMARES is currently working on a 9-month project to identify and evaluate impacts of sector activities on the marine environment. The project aims at identifying causal chains between marine activities in the four European marine regions (Baltic, North east Atlantic, Black sea and Mediterranean sea) and its related pressures and impacts using an ecosystem based approach. The linkages (causal chains) between activities, pressures and ecosystem elements (Good Environmental Status descriptors) will be described in several in depth reviews, accompanied by synthesis reports. Discussion of articles 9, 10 and 11 (comprising e.g monitoring) of the Marine framework directive are part of this project.

Results

The project results are intended to be of demonstrational value to European member states. Therefore, a “conceptual document” will be part of the results. A selection of “in depth”-evaluated causal chains will be part of this document which can be used by member states to perform their own initial assessments in upcoming years.

Staff involved

Diana Slijkerman, Jacqueline Tamis, Gerjan Piet, Chris Karman, Robbert Jak 

  
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