1. How do we work…
Samuli Korpinen, Finnish Environment Institute, Marine Research Centre
HELCOM BalticBOOST WS on Physical loss and damage to the seafloor Copenhagen, Denmark, 2-3 June 2016

2. More specifically the workshop will:
Aims of the workshop
The workshop will further the development work on physical loss and damage to the seafloor carried out under the BalticBOOST project.
More specifically the workshop will:
define work protocols for fisheries and non-fisheries impacts evaluation;
agree on methods for their integration in assessments of multiple pressures;
elaborate on principles for defining environmental target for pressures on seabed habitats.

3. Agenda

4. Agenda

5. First sub-groups on Thursday
How to link quantitative fishing pressure impacts with semi-quantitative measures of other sector impacts? Quantitative and semi-quantitative impacts of fishing and other impacts on benthic habitats: defining impact categories, sensitive habitats and linking with assessments of good environmental status.
Sub-group #1: Definition of impact categories
Common understanding what characteristics the impact categories entail:
what does it mean that impact is high or moderate or low?). Provide the definitions in the Baltic context.
Focus on physical disturbance (=damage) and not ‘loss’.
Are fishing and non-fishing pressures be comparable with our approaches? What are the consequences for this work?
Sub-group #2: Definition of sensitive habitats
Sensitivity of habitats should be defined. Do we follow the BH3 criteria (resistance and recoverability) and how the categories therein can be defined? Provide the definitions in Baltic context.

6. Sub-group #1 Definition of impact categories
The OSPAR BH3 is based on categorical expression of pressures (= numeric pressure is transformed into 5 classes). These are combined with the sensitivity classes (5 classes)  Weighted Disturbance Value Matrix (1-9).
In the Baltic Sea Impact Index: Pressures are on a continuous scale 0-1 and the ’habitat sensitivities’ (called impact weight scores) are on a continuous scale 0-4.  multiplied  Potential impact is on a continuous scale (0-4).
In both cases, the end result is an arbitrary scale, which requires groundtruthing.

7. Sub-group #1 Definition of impact categories
Consider physical impacts from different activities onto a same habitat type…
Siltation pressure scale
Siltation impact scale for habitat type X
Disposal of dredged matter
Disposal of dredged matter
Benthic trawling
Benthic trawling
Dredging
Dredging
Will the impacts from the different activity pressures be comparable if the ’habitat sensitivity’ is defined?

8. Method overview (from JNCC presentation in ICES WKFBI)
Habitat data (observational and modeled)
Assessment of habitat sensitivity (Resistance & Resilience)
Extent and distribution of physical damage pressures
Combination of pressure intensity and habitat sensitivity
Calculation of PDI

9. Sub-group #2 Definition of habitat sensitivity
Do we follow the BH3 sensitivity approach? (JNCC definitions or French definitions)
Should the resistance and recoverability definitions be adapted to the Baltic Sea conditions?
Are the resistance and recoverability definitions applicable to all types of pressures?
How characterizing species can be selected for the sensitivity analyses?

10. Recovery (Resilience ) Description Very Low
At least 25 years to recover structure and function
Low
Full recovery within years
Medium
Full recovery within 2-10 years
High
Full recovery within 1-2 years
Very high
Full recovery within 1 year
Resistance
None
Severe decline and/or physical-chemical parameters also affected e.g. removal of habitat that could cause a change of habitat type. A severe decline/ reduction relates to the loss of more than 75 % of the extent, density or abundance of the selected species or habitat element.
Significant mortality of species with some effects on physical-chemical character of habitat. A significant decline/reduction relates to the loss of 25%-75% of the extent, density or abundance of the selected species or habitat element.
Some mortality of species without change to habitat type. ‘Some mortality’ relates to the loss of up to 25% of the extent, density or abundance of the selected species or habitat element.
No significant effects to the physical-chemical character of habitat and no effect on population viability of species but potential effects to biological processes like feeding, respiration and reproductive rates.
Resistance is defined as the ability of a habitat to tolerate a pressure without a significant change in its biotic and abiotic characteristics. Tolerance is often used as a synonym of « resistance ». “Intolerance” or “fragility” are sometimes used to convey the opposite of resistance.
Resilience is the time needed for a habitat to recover, once the pressure in question has been alleviated. « Recovery » and « recoverability » are often used as synonyms of « resilience ». Resilience and recoverability describe an ability, while recovery describes a process.
Tillin, H, Tyler-Walters, H Assessing the sensitivity of subtidal sedimentary habitats to pressures associated with marine activities. Phase 1 Report: Rationale and proposed ecological groupings for Level 5 biotopes against which sensitivity assessments would be best undertaken JNCC Report No. 512A

11. Resistance (La Riviére et al. 2016)

12. OSPAR BH3 indicator
SENSITIVITY

13. Combine Pressure and Sensitivity (from JNCC BH3 presentation)
Weighted disturbance value matrix
(a=Pressure; b=sensitivity):
Vulnerability
Habitat Sensitivity 1 2 3 4 5
Temporal extent of pressure 6 7 9 8

14. Baltic Sea: Characterizing species for each biotope
Use the HUB level 5 or 6 definitions to define which species are characteristics for each biotope.
The charactirizing species can be used to characterize also broader biotope types.
Are the characterizing species sensitive to pressures or should other species be chosen to indicate biotope sensitivity?

15. Second sub-groups on Thursday
Integrated approach to estimate impacts of fishing and other activities on benthic habitats: discussion on the approaches to ensure comparable sensitivity estimates of benthic habitats to human activities.
Sub-group #3: Integration of pressures and defining spatial scales
How the pressure assessment of fishing and non-fishing activities can technically be integrated… the former is spatially wide and the latter is locally very effective (potentially).
What are spatial extents of pressures and on what scales impacts should be assessed?
Sub-group #4: Effect of natural factors on pressures
How sea-floor exposure, salinity range or depth influence the specific pressures. It is important to know if these factors should definitely be considered in impact assessments and for which pressures.

16. Presentation of approaches to link human impacts and GES by Baltic case studies.
Workshop is invited to comment on the proposed approaches and recommend relevant data sources.

17. WP 3.3: Data support for the Theme 3
Collection of data on pressures affecting sea-bed habitats (HELCOM Secretariat)
on-going, data call launched and data received,
GIS data for many HOLAS II processes,
presentation on pressure fact sheets and in Data and Map Service.
Development of the linkage framework (SYKE):
completed for activity – pressure links,
on-going for pressure – habitat links.