1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 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.
Barcelona Convention
Hatched areas: see Notes 1, 2 and 3

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. DG Environment, Unit D.2 Marine Environment and Water Industry
Thank you for your attention!