Use Cases

Outcomes:  The author was able to identify four regions of ecological significance along the Portuguese coast and assess the level of protection offered by Natura 2000 SPAs and SCIs. One of the hotspots was found to be only partially covered by the Natura 2000 sites, suggesting more quantitative-based approaches should be applied to assist management plans in safeguarding local biological value.  

Outcomes: Authors developed an individual-based population model to assess the sensitivity of population growth potential to thermal stress and food conditions, based on a climate projection scenario, for three bivalve species.  The results highlight the significance of process-based understanding of the response of benthic populations to rising sea temperatures, of huge importance for future planning of resource management and conservation strategies in response to environmental changes.

Outcomes: Authors produced an extent-based evaluation of the representativeness and level of protection offered to the range of seabed habitats found in the Azore MPA network. The conclusions of the assessment highlighted the need for protection of bathyal and abyssal habitats, and to apply a suitable ecological coherence criterion to the MPA network.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: EMODnet was the first product to provide a broad-scale full-coverage map of the study region. 

Outcomes: Researchers were able to assess the impacts of decommissioning marine renewable energy installations (MREI) and provide advice for future decommissioning plans. It was found that the MREI in this area supported similar assemblages to the surrounding habitats, and therefore longer-term monitoring of habitat change were required.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: EMODnet provided broad-scale habitat data for the study area.

Outcomes: Authors present a framework to assess the impacts of mobile fishing gear on the seabed and benthic ecosystems, the principles of which are applicable to all benthic habitats and trawl fisheries, and can be used across a wide range of spatial scales.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: EMODnet provided EUNIS Level 3 habitat maps across European waters.

Outcomes: Authors present a framework to assess the impacts of mobile fishing gear on the seabed and benthic ecosystems, the principles of which are applicable to all benthic habitats and trawl fisheries, and can be used across a wide range of spatial scales.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: EMODnet provided EUNIS Level 3 habitat maps across European waters.

Outcomes: Authors were able to predictively model the extent of protected Annex I features within Scottish Marine Protected Areas, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protected Areas, where survey data did not exist. 

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: Data on physical variables were freely available for the areas of interest.

Nature Scot – Scottish Natural Heritage (Nature Scot)

Outcomes: Researchers were able to produce GIS maps showing the spatial overlap between high discard rate areas and seabed habitats in case study areas of the Mediterranean.  This fed into a wider project, with the overall goal of eliminating discards in European marine fisheries.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: Data on seabed habitats were available in all study areas of the project.

Authors were able to quantify indicators of ecosystem damage from disturbance of the seabed, highlighting areas with the longest estimated ecological recovery time. 

Authors identified that boundaries of successful no-take MPAs may still be zones of high stress for habitat forming species such as maerl. Additionally, authors suggested that MPA designations should re-consider boundaries in areas with low-resilience, key-forming habitat species.