Habitat valuation based on SCOPE, ENCORA and MARBEF recommendations

Valued elements Structures Functions

Habitat or area value ? Area – habitat 1 – score 2 – coverage 70% - - habitat 2 – score 9 – coverage 30% Habitat 1 -Rarity 0 to 5 -Function 0 to 10….

Specifics of the marine habitats Low number and small size of structuring species Openess, connectivity, dispersal Unification not fragmentation as main threat

Selection of approach Biological approach Socioeconomic approach

Indicators must be chosen pragmatically so that they will be: -environmentally sustainable, -economically viable, -technologically feasible, -socially desirable/tolerable, -legally permissible

Biological valuation „the intrinsic value of marine biodiversity without reference to anthropogenic use” Criteria: Rarity, aggregation, fitness, naturalness, proportional importance

Criteria - indicators Rarity**– degree to which an area is characterised by unique features Aggregation ** - degree to which an area is a site where most individuals or species are aggregated Fitness consequences** - degree to which an area is a site that makes a vital contribution to population or species presence Naturalness * - degree to which an area is pristine Proportional importance* - global, regional, national level – percent of value

Example analyse, score 1 to 5 Zostera -Rarity - Rare and protected fish species specific to this habitat only -5 -Aggregation – 80% of marine species from PMA - 5 -Fitness consequences – vital for 40% of PMA marine fauna occurrence - 4 -Naturalness – strongly to moderately changed – 3 -Proportional importance – global - low, regional – medium, national – high

Example analyse – score 1 to 5 Mobile sublittoral sands Rarity – preffered by some species, specific to few – 3 Aggregation – 10% of marine species from PMA – 3 Fitness consequences – vital for water quality and commercial species nursery - 5 Naturalness – little or no changed – 4 Proportional importance – global - low, regional – high, national – moderate

Socioeconomic valuation CVM - monetary importance - societal and cultural importance