The contribution of EMODnet Seabed Habitats in reporting on the 2011-2016 HELCOM ‘State of the Baltic Sea’
Undertaking a regional cumulative impact assessment requires a vast amount of spatial data. Additionally, datasets must be available in a harmonized and comparable format to allow for a smooth yet robust analysis to be conducted.
EUSeaMap v2016 was a key data source for defining ecosystem components across the entire region. Broad-scale habitats were available for the whole of the Baltic Sea, which allowed the computation of:
- Pressure index – highlighting the areas of greatest pressure from human activities;
- Baltic Sea Impact Index – showing the distribution of potential cumulative effects from the pressure index.
The vast dataset collection has improved regional coherence in key data sets and increased the number of spatial datasets available at Baltic Sea regional scale.
About the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)
The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) is the governing body of the convention on the protection of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea area. The protection of the Baltic Sea involves a holistic assessment, providing environmental managers and decision-makers with the most current knowledge on the status and health of the marine region upon which to base their work on.