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EUSeaMap

AquaBiota participates in the project EUSeaMap. The aim of the project is to produce broad-scale predictive habitat maps for over 2 million square kilometres of European sea bed.

Building on the highly successful INTERREG IIIB-funded MESH and BALANCE projects, EUSeaMap will improve and harmonise predictive benthic habitat layers across the Celtic, North and Baltic Seas under the EUNIS classification, as well as undertaking broad-scale mapping of the western Mediterranean for the first time. Among the objectives are: revision and analysis of existing broad-scale marine habitat mapping efforts; development of a common methodology for broad-scale seabed habitat mapping across Europe; introduction of better quality habitat maps and demonstration of how the Marine Strategy Framework Directive Annex III requirements can be used in characterising the marine environment.

EUSeaMap consists of a consortium of seven partners from five countries working to develop data layers and thresholds under the lead of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, JNCC. AquaBiota participates in all parts of the project and has contributed with a fully covering data layer of wave energy (fetch, modelled with SWM) for all coastal areas of the Baltic Sea (see AquaBiota Report 2010:02) and Kattegat. We are further leading the threshold development for the Baltic Sea region and as a part of this we work on a common biotope classification system for the Baltic Sea (see AquaBiota Report 2010:06).

The final report of EUSeaMap is available here (note the large size, 11 Mb).

This contract is funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, with the primary aim to support the implementation requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), specifically the Initial Assessments which all Member States must undertake in 2012. EUSeaMap is itself an integral part of the EC’s preparatory actions for a European Marine Observation Data Network (EMODnet). Swedish EPA is co-financing the Swedish cooperation in the project.

Contact: Sofia Wikström and Nicklas Wijkmark