Review of a Selection of Habitats, Communities

Agenda Item 4 IMPACT 99/4/8-E Original: English OSPAR CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT OF THE NORTH-EAST ATLANTIC WORKING GROUP ON IMPACTS ON THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT (IMPACT) BREST: 15 – 19 NOVEMBER 1999

Offshore Directory – Review of a Selection of Habitats, Communities and Species of the North-East Atlantic

Presented by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF)

Background

1. Reference is made to the report from the OSPAR Workshop on the Criteria for the Selection of Species and Habitats, Horta, Azores, Portugal, 12-16 July 1999.

2. WWF’s Offshore Directory was written by Dr Susan Gubbay for WWF United Kingdom and WWF’s North-East Atlantic Programme to comprise an overview of ecological features in the offshore marine environment of the OSPAR Maritime Area. By submitting the directory WWF aims to facilitate and enhance the development of programmes and measures to protect a representative range of all habitats, species and ecological processes in line with the Convention on Biological Diversity, Annex V to the OSPAR Convention and the Sintra commitments. The directory pays attention to the offshore pelagic and benthic environment because of its particular relevance to OSPAR´s remit.

3. The contents pages and preface to the directory are attached as an Annex to this document. Hardcopies of the complete illustrated directory will be distributed at the IMPACT meeting.

Action Requested

4. IMPACT is invited: a. to examine WWF’s Offshore Directory and comment as appropriate; and b. to consider the next steps proposed and take action as appropriate.

______1 OSPAR Commission IMPACT 99/4/8-E Annex OFFSHORE DIRECTORY Review of a selection of habitats, communities and species of the North-East Atlantic.

WWF-UK North-East Atlantic Programme

Author: Susan Gubbay Date: October, 1999

______2 OSPAR Commission IMPACT 99/4/8-E OFFSHORE DIRECTORY Review of a selection of offshore habitats, communities and species of the North- East Atlantic.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Ocean Management 2 1.2 The OSPAR Convention 3 1.3 The OSPAR Maritime Area 5 1.4 Selection of habitats, communities and species 10

2 OFFSHORE HABITATS, COMMUNITIES AND SPECIES 11

2.1 Seamounts 2.1.1 Occurrence in the OSPAR Maritime Area 11 2.1.2 Seamount communities 12 2.1.3 Conservation issues 15 2.1.4 Conservation actions 16

2.2 Carbonate mounds 18 2.2.1 Occurrence in the OSPAR Maritime Area 19 2.2.2 Carbonate mound communities 20 2.2.3 Conservation issues 21 2.2.4 Conservation actions 22

2.3 Pock marks 23 2.3.1 Occurrence in the OSPAR Maritime Area 24 2.3.2 Marine communities associated with pockmarks 26 2.3.3 Conservation issues 28 2.3.4 Conservation actions 28

2.4 Hydrothermal vents 29 2.4.1 Occurrence in the OSPAR Maritime Area 30 2.4.2 Vent communities 31 2.4.3 Conservation issues 34 2.4.4 Conservation actions 34

2.5 Coral reefs 36 2.5.1 Occurrence in the OSPAR Maritime Area 37 2.5.2 Coral reef communities 38 2.5.3 Conservation issues 40 2.5.4 Conservation actions 41

2.6 Fronts 42 2.6.1 Occurrence in the OSPAR Maritime Area 43 2.6.2 Marine communities associated with fronts 44 2.6.3 Conservation issues 45 2.6.4 Conservation actions 46

2.7 Eddies 47

______3 OSPAR Commission IMPACT 99/4/8-E 2.7.1 Occurrence in the OSPAR Maritime Area 48 2.7.2 Marine communities associated with eddies 49 2.7.3 Conservation issues 50 2.7.4 Conservation actions 50

2.8 Upwellings 51 2.8.1 Occurrence in the OSPAR Maritime Area 51 2.8.2 Marine communities associated with upwellings 52 2.8.3 Conservation issues 52 2.8.4 Conservation actions 52

2.9 Seabirds 53 2.9.1 Distribution in the OSPAR Maritime Area 53 2.9.2 Conservation issues 54 2.9.3 Conservation actions 56

2.10 Deep-sea fish 58 2.10.1 Distribution in the OSPAR Maritime Area 60 2.10.2 Conservation issues 64 2.10.3 Conservation actions 65

2.11 Xenophyophores 66 2.11.1 Distribution in the OSPAR Maritime Area 68 2.11.2 Conservation issues 69 2.11.3 Conservation actions 69

3 NEXT STEPS 70

REFERENCES 73

APPENDIX 1 OSPAR Criteria for the Selection of Species and Habitats

______4 OSPAR Commission IMPACT 99/4/8-E PREFACE

Environmental protection of the world’s oceans is the subject of a number of international agreements including several which are concerned with the control of marine pollution. Two examples are the 1972 Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft (the Oslo Convention) and the 1974 Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land-Based Sources (the Paris Convention). In 1992 these two Conventions were merged into the Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic and a joint body, the Oslo & Paris Commission (OSPAR), was established to oversee its implementation. In 1998, a new Annex was added to the Convention relating to the protection and conservation of the ecosystems and biological diversity. To take this forward two workshops have been held under the auspices of OSPAR to develop criteria to identify of habitats and species for protection, conservation and, where practical, restoration and/or surveillance or monitoring. There has also been a related workshop to identify potential locations where OSPAR might promote the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has had a long standing interest in the conservation of marine habitats and species, including the establishment of Marine Protected Areas, and has promoted the latter as a key management tool for marine nature conservation. The developing OSPAR programme is therefore supported by WWF as it presents an opportunity to apply habitat and species conservation measures, including MPAs, beyond territorial waters. Through its observer status on the Commission, WWF has submitted reports and papers on offshore MPAs and played an active part in the workshops on this subject.

This report is a further contribution from WWF to the debate on offshore habitat and species conservation and MPAs. It describes physiographic and hydrographic features, biological communities and some of the deep water species in the OSPAR area which lie outside the territorial waters of the Contracting Parties. They have been selected to show the variety of this environment. In each case the conservation issues and desirable conservation actions are described with an emphasis on identifying locations of marine nature conservation interest so these could be considered as possible sites in any future offshore MPA programme.

Although it is clear that there are substantial gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the offshore environment, it is hoped that this compendium of information will be a useful reference to those working towards marine habitat and species conservation and the identification, establishment and management of MPAs in the OSPAR Maritime Area.

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