1. Development of innovative tools for
understanding marine biodiversity and assessing
good environmental status: the European project
DEVOTES
Angel Borja
Congreso Biodiversidad, 6th-8th Feb 2013, Bilbao (Spain)

2. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive
• Objective: ‘to promote sustainable use of the seas and conserve marine
ecosystems’.
• Provides the common framework to achieve good environmental status
(GES) in the marine environment, by the year 2020.
• The concept of environmental status takes into account the
structure, function and processes of the marine ecosystems together with
natural physiographic, geographic and climatic factors, as well as physical
and chemical conditions including those resulting from human activities in
the area concerned.

3. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive
The Qualitative Descriptors within the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
Biodiversity Fishing Foodwebs
Seafloor
Hydrography Pollution Litter
integrity
The ecosystem-based approach
‘A comprehensive integrated management of human activities based on the best
available scientific knowledge about the ecosystem and its dynamics, in order to
identify and take action on influences which are critical to the health of the marine
ecosystems, thereby achieving sustainable use of ecosystem goods and services
and maintenance of ecosystem integrity.’

4. DEVOTES background
ASPECTS

5. DEVOTES objectives
• Improve our understanding of the impact of • WP1: ‘Human pressures and
human activities and climate change on marine climate change’.
biodiversity.
• Identify the barriers and bottlenecks that prevent • WP2: ‘Socio-economic
implications of GES’.
GES from being achieved
• Test indicators and develop new, innovative ones • WP3: ‘Indicator testing and
to assess biodiversity in a harmonized way development’
throughout the 4 regional seas.
• Develop, test and validate innovative integrative • WP 4: ‘Innovative modelling
modelling and monitoring tools to improve our tools’
understanding of ecosystem and biodiversity • WP5: ‘Innovative monitoring
changes, for integration into a unique and holistic techniques’.
assessment • WP6: ‘Integrative assessment’
• Propose and disseminate strategies and measures • WP7: ‘Outreach, stakeholder
for ecosystems’ adaptive management, including engagement and product
the active role of industry and relevant dissemination’.
stakeholders

6. DEVOTES structure (partners)
Number Partner Country
1 AZTI Spain
2 NILU Norway
3 SYKE Finland
4 Aarhus University Denmark
5 University of Hull UK
6 CEFAS UK
7 PML UK
8 IMAR Portugal
9 IO-BAS Bulgaria
10 JRC EU
11 HCMR Greece
EPA
12 KUCORPI Lithuania NOAA
13 APN Norway
14 University of Ancona Italy
15 NIOZ Netherlands
16 CSIC Spain
17 Dokuz Eylul Uni Turkey
18 MHI-NASU Ukraine
19 MARILIM Germany
20 CNRS France
21 OceanDTM UK
22 Ecoreach Italy
KAUST
23 KAUST Saudi Arabia
Duration of 48 months, from 1st November 2012 to 31st October 2016
Total cost: 12 million euros, requested EC contribution: 9 million euros

7. Technical issues: WPs and tasks

8. WP1: human pressures and CC
• Coordinator: Mike Elliott (University of Hull)
• Work effort: 115 person-month (9.4%)
• Objective: Determine the relative contribution of human pressures to the
status/changes of biodiversity, against shifting baselines of climatic change
• Some tasks:
– Produce models for pressure-impact links on
biodiversity (cumulative, synergistic, antagonistic
effect)
– Catalogue, review and identify gaps in monitoring
networks used by the RSC and MSs, including
pressures
– Evaluate the adequacy of pressure-impact links to
indicate status
– Review the role of biodiversity in ecosystem
functioning
• Main outputs: review of cumulative, synergistic
and antagonistic effects of the pressures
which, together with variations due to climate
change, can affect marine biodiversity

9. WP2: Socio-economic implications of GES
• Coordinator: Melanie Austen (Plymouth Marine
Laboratory)
• Work effort: 83 person-month (6.8%)
• Objective: determine the socio-economic
implications of maintaining/changing management
practices aimed at GES of biodiversity
• Some tasks:
– Identify criteria and assess the cost-effectiveness of
monitoring and assessment systems
– Cost-based assessment of management measures
– Ecosystem services and management for GES
– Socio-economic assessment of management measures
• Main outputs: Cost-effective monitoring systems
based on stakeholder demands and overcoming
barriers to implementation within management
strategies

10. WP3: Indicator testing and development
• Coordinator: Ansti Heiskanen-Torsten Berg (SYKE-MARILIM)
• Work effort: 263 person-month (21.4%)
• Objective: Test and develop biodiversity GES indicators
• Some tasks:
– Review and analyze indicators used in MSs and RSC
– Quantify the ability of indicators to identify threats and impacts on biodiversity in the
regional seas
– Refine existing indicators
– Develop, test and validate new indicators to fill in the identified gaps
– Develop tools/methodologies for setting reference and target values for the biodiversity
indicators
• Main outputs: A comprehensive and coherent suite of innovative, cost-
efficient and tested biodiversity indicators to be applied in the integrated
assessment and modelling of GES in regional seas

11. WP4: Innovative modelling tools
• Coordinator: Chris Lynam-Christian Wilson (CEFAS-OceanDTM)
• Work effort: 172 person-month (14%)
• Objective: test improved or developed modelling tools to assess
biodiversity
• Some tasks:
– Catalogue the capabilities of GES assessment models
– Employ ecosystem models and alter changes in mortality on key species
– Improve and validate GIS maps of benthic habitats
– Develop spatial ecosystem models
– Modelling reference or target levels
– Utility, applicability and relevance of indicators derived from multiple biological traits
– Interaction between climate change, physical forcing and biodiversity
– Modelling of marine connectivity and biodiversity across regional seas
• Main outputs: Understanding of the interactions between GES descriptors
1, 4 and 6, and the complementary use of indicators to assess biodiversity
and ecosystem functioning.

12. WP5: Innovative monitoring tools
• Coordinator: Roberto Danovaro-Sabine Cochrane (University of
Ancona-APN)
• Work effort: 232 person-month (18.9%)
• Objective: Development, testing and validation of innovative
monitoring techniques for parameters, which ultimately may be
used as indicators of GES
• Some tasks:
– Applying remote sensing to assess marine biodiversity. (a)
ferrybox, plankton, algorithms, zooscan, etc., (b) benthic habitat mapping
(multibeam), (c) ROV, cameras; (d) acoustic, (d) non-invasive biosensors
– Assessing the value of utility of molecular approaches for biodiversity
quantification in monitoring systems and validation of metagenetic approaches,
– Applying and validating innovative tools to gather information on the diversity of
potentially-dangerous algae for human health.
• Main outputs: New remote sensing and molecular tools to be used
in monitoring and assessment of biodiversity. Some methods will be
ready for CEN standardization.

13. WP6: Integrative assessment
• Coordinator: Jacob Carstensen-Sabine Cochrane (University of Aarhus-APN)
• Work effort: 212 person-month (17.2%)
• Objective: Integrate indicators, model methods and tool knowledge to
assess the status
• Some tasks:
– Operational biodiversity assessment tool and software
– Identification of keystone species and processes
– Determining confidence in biodiversity assessment
– Definitions of Good Environmental Status
– Testing and validation of biodiversity assessment tool
– Comparison of biodiversity assessment across pilot areas
– Management applications of the biodiversity assessment tool
• Main outputs: A validated tool for integrated assessment of biodiversity
status and the uncertainties related to this assessment, for consistent and
comparative assessment of GES across regional seas.

14. WP7: Dissemination
• Coordinator: Alice Newton-Marianna Mea (NILU-Ecoreach)
• Work effort: 110 person-month (8.9%)
• Objective: effective and efficient dissemination of project progress and
outcomes
• Some tasks:
• Project website, social networks, TV documentary, book, etc.
– Network with stakeholders using regional workshops and meetings.
– Joint workshops and special sessions in international conferences
– Open access to scientific papers, reports, methods & tools:
– Demonstration of developed tools via courses
– User interfaces including applications for smart-phones and tablets
– Ex-post dissemination
• Main outputs: Wide knowledge of final products and outcomes of DEVOTES
among the wide stakeholder community, promoting adoption of harmonized
tools for integrated assessment of GES at EU and international level

15. WP8: Coordination
• Coordinator: Angel Borja (AZTI)
• Work effort: 42 person-month (3.4%)
• Objective: Management of the team and coordination within/between the
team and the EC, including reporting

16. Strategic impact

17. Contact: aborja@azti.es
Congreso Biodiversidad, 6th-8th Feb 2013, Bilbao (Spain)