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A generic framework (FW) for the monitoring and evaluation of spatially managed areas (here defined as marine areas subject to a planning and management regime) was developed and tested in nine marine areas of 13 European countries under the EU funded project MESMA (Monitoring and Evaluation of Spatially Managed Areas). This paper describes the lessons learned in the use of the FW and draws conclusions for its future use and development. The selected case studies represented diverse spatial scales, management status and complexity, ranging from sub-national areas to entire national coastlines, and large offshore regions. The application of the FW consisted of seven steps: starting with (i) context setting and (ii) gathering of relevant ecosystem information, human activities and management goals; it continues with (iii) indicator selection and (iv) risk assessment; and the final steps considers the (v) analysis of findings and (vi) the evaluation of management effectiveness, to end up with (vii) the revision and proposal of adaptation to current management. The lessons learnt through the application of the FW in the case studies have proved the value of the FW. However, difficulties rose due to the diversity of the nature and the different stages of development in planning and management in the case study areas; as well as, limited knowledge on ecosystem functioning needed for its implementation. As a conclusion the FW allowed for a flexible and creative application and provided important gap analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine benthic ecosystems are difficult to monitor and assess, which is in contrast to modern ecosystem-based management requiring detailed information at all important ecological and anthropogenic impact levels. Ecosystem management needs to ensure a sustainable exploitation of marine resources as well as the protection of sensitive habitats, taking account of potential multiple-use conflicts and impacts over large spatial scales. The urgent need for large-scale spatial data on benthic species and communities resulted in an increasing application of distribution modelling (DM). The use of DM techniques enables to employ full spatial coverage data of environmental variables to predict benthic spatial distribution patterns. Especially, statistical DMs have opened new possibilities for ecosystem management applications, since they are straightforward and the outputs are easy to interpret and communicate. Mechanistic modelling techniques, targeting the fundamental niche of species, and Bayesian belief networks are the most promising to further improve DM performance in the marine realm. There are many actual and potential management applications of DMs in the marine benthic environment, these are (i) early warning systems for species invasion and pest control, (ii) to assess distribution probabilities of species to be protected, (iii) uses in monitoring design and spatial management frameworks (e.g. MPA designations), and (iv) establishing long-term ecosystem management measures (accounting for future climate-driven changes in the ecosystem). It is important to acknowledge also the limitations associated with DM applications in a marine management context as well as considering new areas for future DM developments. The knowledge of explanatory variables, for example, setting the basis for DM, will continue to be further developed: this includes both the abiotic (natural and anthropogenic) and the more pressing biotic (e.g. species interactions) aspects of the ecosystem. While the response variables on the other hand are often focused on species presence and some work undertaken on species abundances, it is equally important to consider, e.g. biological traits or benthic ecosystem functions in DM applications. Tools such as DMs are suitable to forecast the possible effects of climate change on benthic species distribution patterns and hence could help to steer present-day ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is advocated to support an ecosystem approach to marine management, as it allows consideration of multiple management objectives including marine conservation. The monitoring and evaluation of both implemented marine plans and the planning process itself is susceptible to various uncertainties. Here, uncertainties related to a stepwise monitoring and evaluation framework for spatially managed areas were characterised and quantified with the help of two modified and developed tools. In particular, Walker-type and pedigree matrices were utilised to assess both the sources and respective relative levels of uncertainty present in the assessment of nine European case studies that conducted a stepwise monitoring and evaluation process applying a common framework. Across the southern and northern European case studies major sources of uncertainty were found in relation to the knowledge base, management scenarios with related objectives and data availability. Although case studies made flexible use of the framework to account for the particularities of the local realms, the revealed pattern of associated uncertainty was highly consistent across the case studies. The scored pedigree matrices showed that the criteria ‘stakeholder engagement’ and ‘cross validation’ had greatest influence on the overall robustness of the case study assessments. The observed distribution of median pedigree scores was within acceptable ranges with respect to simulated possible score distributions. In addition, a sensitivity analysis revealed that the scoring of the pedigree criteria by five or more experts would result in less variable interquartile ranges of respective median scores. In conclusion, the developed complementary tools showed great flexibility in characterising and assessing uncertainty despite context-dependent differences among case studies such as geographical area, quality of available data, level of spatial management implementation or management objectives. Moreover, the obtained findings allow prioritising efforts and future research to support an iterative monitoring and evaluation of marine spatial plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent environmental legislation, worldwide, aims to restore and protect the quality of the marine environment. Within this context, in order to maintain the good functioning of marine ecosystems, sediment pollution monitoring is becoming increasingly important. Hence, for this contribution, the spatial distribution of Cd, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni and Pb accumulation areas were determined, for the sediments of the Basque continental shelf. Statistically-assisted Geographical Information System (GIS)-mapping techniques were used, in order to infer the processes responsible for such accumulations. Differences in contaminant entrance pathways were observed between sectors. However, hydrodynamic conditions favored the rapid dispersal of contaminants and their stable distribution. The methodology used resulted in a suitable approach for identifying contaminant distribution patterns, which could be used in environmental assessment processes. Nevertheless, an important knowledge gap on the distribution of contaminants in offshore sediments was identified. Extensions of actual monitoring programs are suggested, in order to improve the information available for identifying the behavior and process-drivers for contaminants in offshore systems. This would permit the achievement of a more complete approach, to understand the effects of land-derived contaminants, on offshore systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Predicting species distribution and habitat suitability (HS) modelling, across broad spatial scales, is now a major challenge in marine ecology. The resulting knowledge is of considerable use in supporting the implementation of environmental legislation, integrated coastal zone management and ecosystem-based fisheries management. This contribution considers the identification of seafloor morphological characteristics, together with wave energy conditions, that determine the presence of European lobster (Homarus gammarus); and it predicts suitable habitats over the Basque continental shelf (Bay of Biscay), in summer. The results obtained, by applying Ecological-Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA), indicate that lobster habitat differs considerably from the mean environmental condition over the study area; likewise, that it is restrictive in terms of the range of conditions in which they dwell. The best of the environmental predictors found to be: distance to the rock substrate; Benthic Position Index; wave flux over the seafloor; and the underlying bathymetry. A habitat suitability map was produced, with a high model quality (Boyce index: 0.98±0.06). The most suitable habitat for European lobster are locations at the boundary between sedimentary- and rocky-bottoms, coincident with seafloor depressions with a steep slope, with medium to high wave energy conditions, and located within a range of water depths of 35–40m. This approach demonstrates the applicability of the method in case studies where only presence data are available, together with the inclusion of environmental variables obtained from different sources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Effective marine spatial planning (MSP) requires evidence-based decision-making processes in order to achieve sustainable use of marine resources and ecosystem services. In accordance with this purpose, decision support tools (DSTs) were used as the primary assistant of planners and managers. As a further step of existing review efforts on DSTs, this research aimed to add value to current knowledge by capturing end user opinions on their applications in MSP processes. For this purpose, perceptions and experiences on tools were acquired using an inclusive questionnaire. In total, 92 MSP experts were reached from 28 countries to collect information on: (i) DST users' profile; (ii) the contribution of tools in MSP implementation processes, (iii) user opinions and experiences; and (iv) their expectations to draw recommendations and to give insights for future developments. Results revealed that developers should keep tool-user interaction from development to application stage and focus on a publicly accepted MSP working flow. Besides, new efforts on environmental data collection are needed to enable ecosystem-based approach in MSP. Hereby, this research analysed end user perceptions and opinions on DSTs, and it concludes that users require tools providing multi-functionality, integrity and ease of use. • 28 questions were asked to end users of decision support tools. • 92 individuals from 28 countries responded to the questionnaire. • Respondents stated 62 different MSP initiatives and 20 different tools. • Outcomes allowed identification of user opinions and desired future requirements. • Tool-user interaction from development to application stage was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]