Division Specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment

1. 1..

   Regarding methods for monitoring:

   1. (a)

      for D6C1, permanent changes to the seabed from different human activities shall be assessed (including permanent changes to natural seabed substrate or morphology via physical restructuring, infrastructure developments and loss of substrate via extraction of the seabed materials);

   2. (b)

      for D6C2, physical disturbances from different human activities shall be assessed (such as bottom-trawling fishing);

   3. (c)

      for coastal waters, the hydromorphology data and relevant assessments under F1any enactment which gives effect to Directive 2000/60/EC shall be used. Beyond coastal waters, data may be collated from mapping of infrastructure and licensed extraction sites.

2. 2..

   Regarding methods for assessment, the data shall be aggregated so that:

   1. (a)

      D6C1 is assessed as area lost in relation to total natural extent of all benthic habitats in the assessment area (e.g. by extent of anthropogenic modification);

   2. (b)

      D6C3 is assessed in relation to total natural extent of each benthic habitat type assessed.

3. 3..

   Physical loss shall be understood as a permanent change to the seabed which has lasted or is expected to last for a period of two reporting cycles (12 years) or more.

4. 4..

   Physical disturbance shall be understood as a change to the seabed from which it can recover if the activity causing the disturbance pressure ceases.

5. 5..

   For D6C3 species composition shall be understood to refer to the lowest taxonomic level appropriate for the assessment.

Units of measurement for the criteria:

• D6C1: extent of the assessment area physically lost in square kilometres (km²),

• D6C2: extent of the assessment area physically disturbed in square kilometres (km²),

• D6C3: extent of each habitat type adversely affected in square kilometres (km²) or as a proportion (percentage) of the total natural extent of the habitat in the assessment area.