The European Environment Agency (EEA) has announced the release of a publication titled 'Marine Messages,' aimed at supporting the 'Healthy Oceans – Productive Ecosystems (HOPE)' marine conference to be held on 3-4 March 2014.
The publication emphasizes the vulnerability of Europe's marine ecosystems and the need for European countries to understand the limits of their activities.
20 February 2014: The European Environment Agency (EEA) has announced the release of a publication, titled ‘Marine Messages,’ which seeks to support the ‘Healthy Oceans – Productive Ecosystems (HOPE)’ marine conference to be held on 3-4 March 2014. The publication emphasizes the vulnerability of Europe’s marine ecosystems and the need for European countries to understand the limits of their activities.
EEA Director Hans Bruyninckx highlighted that the current use of marine ecosystems is leading to their irreversible degradation. Species surveys show that “good environmental status” can be applied to less than a fifth of species and a similar proportion of habitats. For example, eutrophication is leading to oxygen-free “dead zones” in the Baltic and Black Seas, while trawling is impacting the seabed in the North Sea. Meanwhile, fishing and tourism are some of the threats in the Mediterranean Sea.
On a positive note, data show some fish stocks recuperating, while nutrient loads have been reduced in the Baltic and North East Atlantic Seas. Europe is also working on designating more marine protected area networks, which currently cover 6 percent of European seas. According to an analysis from the European Commission (EC), European Union (EU) member states must work urgently and improve cooperation for the marine environment to reach good status by 2020, a target under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). [EEA News] [HOPE Conference website] [Marine Strategy Framework Directive] [EU Press Release] [Publication: Commission Report on the first phase of implementation of the MSFD]