Reporting on species and habitats under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Habitats and Birds Directives Expert Group on Reporting under the Nature Directives 17 October 2017, Brussels Cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa © Rohan Holt David Connor European Commission DG Environment Unit C.2 – Marine Environment and Water Industry

Outline of presentation MSFD reporting in 2018 – Art. 8, 9 and 10 2017 GES Decision and MSFD Annex III Reporting on species Reporting on habitats Possible links with HBD reporting

MSFD reporting in 2018 Art 17 requires a 6-year review of marine strategies and any updates to be reported Updates for Art. 8, 9 and 10 are to be reported by October 2018: Initial assessment (current status, pressures and impacts, economic and social analysis, costs of degradation) (Art 8) Determination of GES (good environmental status) (Art 9) Environmental targets (Art 10) Last reporting before Art. 20 MSFD evaluation report, and goal to achieve GES by 2020

MSFD Annex III Directive (EU) 2017/845 GES Decision (EU) 2017/848 MSFD Annex III Directive (EU) 2017/845 GES Decision provides criteria and methodological standards "to ensure consistency and to allow for comparison between marine regions or subregions of the extent to which GES is being achieved" GES Decision addresses the determination of GES (Art. 9), which is then reflected in the assessments (Art.8) Revised Annex III ensures alignment between MSFD and the new GES Decision (lists of ecosystem elements, pressures and activities) Reporting in 2018 is aligned to new GES Decision and MSFD Annex III

provides a common framework for determination of GES GES Decision (EU) 2017/848 provides a common framework for determination of GES requires consistency in this determination at EU or regional or subregional level and coherence across the MSFD Descriptors makes specific links to other EU policies to support harmonisation of assessment and monitoring e.g. Water Framework Directive, Common Fisheries Policy, Invasive Alien Species Regulation, Habitats and Birds Directives, Foodstuffs Regulation Addresses variously: elements, criteria, threshold values, integration rules, monitoring encompasses (sub)regional processes, particularly of Regional Sea Conventions

Regional and subregional implementation Helsinki Convention OSPAR Convention Bucharest Convention Note 1: The area shaded in purple  and white indicates an area to which both the United Kingdom and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark together with the Government of the Faroes have transmitted overlapping submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in fulfilment of their respective rights and obligations under Article 76 and Annex II to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in order to determine entitlement of outer continental shelf areas. This map should not be used in any way to prejudice the determination of that question by the CLCS in due course. Note 2: The area shaded in black and white shows the delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 M from the territorial sea baselines of France, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom in respect of the area of the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscay, as provided by the four countries to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and included in its recommendations issued on 24 March 2009. The map of the continental shelf’s extent shall be used without prejudice to the agreements that will be concluded in due course between these Member States on their marine borders in this area. Note 3: The seas of Azov and Marmara are shown as shaded as they do not fall within the geographic scope of application of the Bucharest Convention. https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/msfd-regions-and-subregions#tab-documents. Barcelona Convention Hatched areas: see Notes 1, 2 and 3

Timelines and reusing assessments 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 MSFD Art 8-9-10 MSFD Art 11 MSFD Art 13, 14 MSFD Art 17 update of Art 8-9-10 MSFD Art 20 evaluation WFD assessments (D5, D8) CFP assessments (D3) RSC assessments (all descriptors)

Assessment of ecosystem elements (Art. 8(1)(a)) Assessment of specific pressures and their impacts on ecosystem elements (Art. 8(1)(b)) D2 Assessment of ecosystem elements (Art. 8(1)(a)) D8 Mammals (D1) Reptiles (D1) Fish (D1, D3) Cephalo-pods (D1, D3) Pelagic habitats (D1) Benthic habitats (D1, D6) Birds (D1) Ecosystem, including food-webs (D1, D4) D3 D9 D5 D10 D6 disturb-ance D11 D6 loss, D7 Other pressures

MSFD species groups Coverage by HBD Ecosystem component Species groups Coverage by HBD Birds Grazing birds All marine species Wading birds Surface-feeding birds Pelagic-feeding birds Benthic-feeding birds Mammals Small toothed cetaceans Deep-diving toothed cetaceans Baleen whales Seals Reptiles Turtles Fish Coastal fish Selected species (e.g. some anadromous spp.) Pelagic shelf fish Demersal shelf fish Deep-sea fish Cephalopods Coastal/shelf cephalopods Not addressed Deep-sea cephalopods Selection criteria for species in a group: Representative of species group Relevant for key pressures Sufficient abundance for indicator assessment

MSFD species: criteria 2017 GES Decision D1 species of bird, mammal, reptile, fish & cephalopod D3 commercially- exploited fish and shellfish Habitats Directive 2016 reporting format Birds Directive D1C1 Mortality rate from incidental by-catch D3C1 Fishing mortality rate Population D1C2 Population abundance D3C2 Spawning Stock Biomass Population size D1C3 Population demographics D3C3 Age & size distribution   D1C4 Species distributional range & pattern Range Breeding distribution map and size D1C5 Habitat for the species Habitat for the species  Future prospects

MSFD broad habitat types: linked to EUNIS level 2   Hard/firm Soft Level 2 Rock* Biogenic habitat (flora/ fauna) Coarse Mixed Sand Mud Phytal gradient/ hydrodynamic gradient Littoral MA1 MA2 MA3 MA4 MA5 MA6 Infralittoral MB1 MB2 MB3  MB4   MB5 MB6  Circalittoral MC1 MC2 MC3 MC4 MC5 MC6 Aphytal/ hydodynamic gradient Offshore circalittoral MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 Upper bathyal ME1  ME2 ME3  ME4 ME5 ME6  Lower bathyal MF1 MF2 MF3 MF4 MF5 MF6 Abyssal  MG1  MG2 MG3 MG4 MG5 MG6  EUNIS level 2 structure (Evans et al. 2016) MSFD Broad Habitat Types *Includes soft rock, marls, clays, artificial hard substrata

MSFD habitats: criteria 2017 GES Decision D1 benthic habitats and D6 seafloor integrity D1 pelagic habitats Habitats Directive 2016 reporting format D6C4 Habitat extent Area covered by habitat D6C5 Habitat condition D1C6 Habitat condition Structure and functions Range    Future prospects

Possible links to HBD reporting Greater commonality of marine species (all birds, mammals, reptiles) than habitats GES Decision correlates criteria to HBD criteria and requires use of FCS integration rules GES Decision requires (sub)regionally-consistent threshold values, consistent with FRP and FRR values of HD MSFD uses ecologically-relevant assessment scales (region/subregion/subdivision) – option for use in HBD reporting guidance RSC (sub)regional indicator assessments are based on compiled data sets, agreed methods & thresholds There is commonality between MSFD and HBD reporting fields (and HBD 'methodology' fields may be covered in MSFD indicator assessments) Possibility to use 2018 MSFD reporting in 2019 HBD reporting

DG Environment, Unit D.2 Marine Environment and Water Industry 18.01.2019 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine Thank you for your attention!