'How do we tell policy-makers that marine biodiversity is "on target" or "missing the mark"?'

This presentation will focus on one of the main driving goals for policy on marine biodiversity in Europe: “Biological diversity is maintained. The quality and occurrence of habitats and the distribution and abundance of... [ view full abstract ]

This presentation will focus on one of the main driving goals for policy on marine biodiversity in Europe: “Biological diversity is maintained. The quality and occurrence of habitats and the distribution and abundance of species are in line with prevailing physiographic, geographic and climatic conditions.” – as required under the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The complexity of marine biodiversity, our limited knowledge on the linkages between human pressure and environmental impacts and the lack of comprehensive data for many components, make it extremely challenging to set objectives and then assess progress towards them.

I will describe how science and policy have had to rapidly evolve in order to deliver a series of indicators and targets that will help policy leaders to better assess progress towards the goal described above.  This has involved scientists and policy makers from different countries working together to assess the state of biodiversity and our impacts on it at an ecosystem scale that crosses national borders.   I will provide examples of how we have translated long-term observations on marine birds, mammals, fish and benthic habitats into international indicators and how we have set baselines and targets to assess the status of these indicators.

The work described in this presentation has been undertaken by the OSPAR Commission -  the mechanism by which 15 Governments and the European Union cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. Full results of the OSPAR biodiversity assessments are available at https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/intermediate-assessment-2017/biodiversity-status/.