The Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland (MarLIN) Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development. Keith Hiscock Angus Jackson & Daniel Lear February 1999 Revised: October 1999 Reference: Hiscock, K., Jackson, A., & Lear, D. 1999. Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development. Report to the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions from the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN). Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the UK. (MarLIN Report No.1). October 1999 edition. MarLIN: Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development 2 MarLIN: Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development PREFACE THE MARINE LIFE INFORMATION NETWORK FOR BRITAIN & IRELAND MarLIN Information to support marine environmental management, protection and education. Description of the programme. The Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland (MarLIN) is an initiative of the Marine Biological Association of the UK in collaboration with major holders and users of marine biological data and information. MarLIN: · provides a structure for linking available data on marine life around Britain and Ireland; · improves the access, display and interpretation of information in support of environmental management, protection and education, and · is developing the most comprehensive, easily used source of information about marine habitats, communities and species around Britain and Ireland and their sensitivity to natural events and human activities. MarLIN has a Core Network Team and three sub-programmes: 1. The Seabed Data Acquisition Sub-programme. The major starting point for this sub-programme is the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR) database which holds data from over 30,000 locations. Data sets from a wide variety of sources will be linked to the MNCR database, concentrating especially on offshore areas and the seas to the west of Britain. The data will be capable of interrogation to map species and biotope distributions as well as to interpret new data by identifying which biotopes they represent, displaying contextual information and accessing illustrations. This sub-programme contributes essential contextual information for National Biodiversity Network recording. 2. The Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. Biotopes and species pages will provide information about their biology and environmental preferences and to assist in identifying sensitivity and recoverability in relation to natural events and human activities. A graphical, web-based user interface enables the enquirer to identify areas of interest and ask whether any species known to be sensitive, of marine natural heritage importance etc. are present at a location. Hypertext links will access information describing statutes, directives, international conventions and key literature sources. 3. The Biological Recording Centres and Education Sub-programme. This sub- programme links especially to the National Biodiversity Network. It will develop marine biological recording through local recording centres and using volunteer recorders. It will realise the educational opportunities offered by access to images and descriptions of biology of communities and species together with their geographical distributions. More information on MarLIN can be found on www.marlin.ac.uk 3 MarLIN: Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development 4 MarLIN: Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development The Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland (MarLIN) Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development. CONTENTS 1. Assessing ‘sensitivity’ – aims and approaches .............................................................................7 2. Review of recent approaches to assessing ‘sensitivity’.................................................................7 3. Recent developments which assist sensitivity assessment ............................................................9 4. What is ‘sensitivity’? .................................................................................................................12 5. What is ‘recoverability’?............................................................................................................13 6. What is ‘importance’?................................................................................................................13 7. The Database.............................................................................................................................16 7.1. Development of the database .................................................................................................16 7.2. Key information fields ...........................................................................................................17 7.2.1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................17 7.2.2 Species fields ...................................................................................................................18 7.2.3 Habitat/biotope fields.......................................................................................................18 7.2.4 Data entry. .......................................................................................................................18 8. Sensitivity and recoverability assessments .................................................................................20 8.1 Species and biotope sensitivity assessments...........................................................................20 8.2. Benchmarks for sensitivity assessment...................................................................................20 8.3. Species and biotope recoverability assessment.......................................................................21 8.4. Confidence ............................................................................................................................21 9. Publication of information .........................................................................................................21 10. Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................23 11. References.................................................................................................................................26 Appendix 1. MarLIN Objectives and Guiding Principles ..................................................................34 Appendix 2. Glossaries......................................................................................................................36 Appendix 3. Key to acronyms ...........................................................................................................65 Appendix 4. Catalogue of recent or current methods of identifying and/or quantifying sensitivity and an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. .......................................................69 Appendix 5. Key information review as a background to Species Action Plans (UK Biodiversity Action Plans).................................................................................................................74 Appendix 6. Key information review as background to the OSPAR IMPACT meeting in September 1998.................................................................................................................................78 Appendix 7. Biology and sensitivity key information pro formas ......................................................84 5 MarLIN: Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development 6 MarLIN: Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development The Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland (MarLIN) Assessing seabed species and ecosystems sensitivities. Existing approaches and development. Keith Hiscock Angus Jackson & Daniel Lear 1. Assessing ‘sensitivity’ – aims and approaches The Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme aims to: Identify key information on the biology and sensitivity of seabed habitats, biotopes and species that can be applied in a practical way to environmental protection and management. Assessment of habitat, community or species ‘sensitivity’ includes the appraisal of the likely damage from an activity, the potential for recovery after damage and their importance from the point-of-view of maintaining marine natural heritage importance. This work is being undertaken by the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN) team at the Marine Biological Association of the UK. The Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub- programme will take account of existing schemes for assessing sensitivity and the results of workshops as well as trialing these different approaches. The approaches used will be developed in collaboration with the technical Sub-programme Management Group of MarLIN. The Objectives and Guiding Principles for the Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub- programme are given in Appendix 1. Technical terms and jargon need to be minimised to provide a practical and user friendly approach. However, precision in the use of terms is essential, especially in gathering key information.