Map of the week – World Habitat Day and World Animal Day

This week we are celebrating World Habitat Day (1 October 2018) and World Animal Day (4 October 2018), the perfect time to draw attention to the rich biodiversity of European waters and the importance of adequate protection of our marine environment.  

Three quarters of our planet are covered by water. The oceans sustain life on Earth and regulate our climate. Sustainable management of maritime activities and protection of the marine environment requires precise information to be used by private companies, public bodies and policy makers to make well-informed decisions. 

The European Atlas of the Seas provides information in a user-friendly way by displaying complex data that is easy to understand and use by non-expert professionals, students and the general public. 

This week’s Map of the week displays data on the number of species and observations per sea region. This archive of species data helps decision makers to determine which areas are under threat.

We have included another relevant layer in this map, the ‘’Habitat descriptors - Biological zones’’ layer, which shows the calculated biological zones used in the EMODnet Seabed Habitats EUSeaMap model to drive the final habitat output.

The data displayed in this map is provided by EurOBIS and EMODnet.

Consult the map here: http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/atlas/maritime_atlas/#lang=EN;p=w;bkgd=5;theme=509:0.75,684:0.75;c=1253866.2175874896,7033312.21824701;z=4