CONTEXT
There is an increased need to understand and follow the state of marine ecosystems and biodiversity in Europe due to their degradation in all European sea basins. Conversely knowledge of marine ecosystems is still limited in some areas, fragmented, inconsistent across different countries, and programmes for data collection are disseminated and costly, thus introducing issues in assessing the state of the EU seas. Indeed, methodologies and data formats are not harmonised, data quality is not always fit-for-purpose and the spatiotemporal scales and species coverage often do not respond to policy needs. Furthermore, data flow s are complex and not all data is readily accessible and usable. It is therefore essential to improve and harmonise the monitoring of marine biodiversity across Europe.
OBJECTIVES
- The overall objective of the study is to provide an up-to-date overview and assessment of the different schemes put in place for the acquisition of data on marine biodiversity and their reporting in the European Union and adjacent marine waters. The study will contribute to the following questions:
- What are the different methodologies for assessing and monitoring marine biodiversity by species and species groups?
- What are the main strengths and weaknesses (technological, organisational, financial, …) of the existing methodologies?
- What are potential opportunities for synergies between marine biodiversity monitoring methodologies, both current and emerging (e.g., genetics, satellites and citizen science) to deliver “better” (more accurate, reliable, consistent and coherent) marine biodiversity information?
- What are the main technical and scientific conceptual and operational data pathways for marine biodiversity monitoring data reporting? How are these currently managed, and which challenges are these facing?
- Which options for delivering harmonised pathways for marine biodiversity monitoring and data reporting? Under which conditions could such options be implemented and effective?Quelles sont les options permettant d’harmoniser les voies d’accès à la surveillance de la biodiversité marine et à la communication des données ? Dans quelles conditions ces options pourraient-elles être mises en œuvre et efficaces ?
