Publication Abstract

Report of ICES Study Group on Biodiversity Science (2009)

Report of ICES Study Group on Biodiversity Science (2009)

M. Schratzberger*, P. Martinez Arbizu, J.A. Cooper, W. Eikrem, Y. Maubras, I. Narberhaus, H. Reiss, J. Roff, H. Rumohr, E. Vanden Berghe, J. Ellis*

Despite the importance of biodiversity, as well as the legal and other requirements to protect the marine environment and regulate human impacts in the North Atlantic, Biodiversity Science has not traditionally been considered a core focus of the ICES community. In recent years, biodiversity issues have become an increasingly important element of ICES’ advisory work and biodiversity is one of the research topics identified in the ICES Science Plan as being of strategic importance to the advisory needs of ICES. The European Commission’s (EC) recent Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) also highlights the importance of marine biodiversity, and so requests for information from ICES on the monitoring, assessment and integration of biodiversity information will likely increase. Although a wide variety of ICES Expert Groups are involved in certain aspects of marine biodiversity, there has to date been little coordinated integration and synthesis of the information and advice they produce.

There are critical gaps in current research expertise and data management, which affect the ability of ICES to provide effective management advice in terms of biodiversity. A better understanding of the resilience and stability of marine ecosystems as well as the role of disturbance is required in order to assess anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity. Better syntheses of biodiversity information, including its functional and social-economic importance is needed to allow managers to make more informed decisions.

SGBioDiv has explored options for the integration of Biodiversity Science into the present ICES science and advisory structure. These options seek to deliver biodiversity information at both an operational level (i.e. to respond to immediate client requests), as well as on a more strategic level (i.e. to improve ICES’ ability to undertake Biodiversity Science and to develop integrated biodiversity advice). Specifically, SGBioDiv has

• reviewed the assessment, advisory and governance structure within ICES in order to determine the most appropriate levels at which Biodiversity Science should be coordinated,
• explored options for the integration of Biodiversity Science into the ICES science and advisory community and
• developed a working plan to integrate and communicate ICES Biodiversity Science.

Biodiversity is an overarching theme to much of ICES’ work, and in order to address ICES’ fundamental goals, it is vital that Biodiversity Science be addressed in a better coordinated and more integrated way. Key recommendations include:

• The establishment of SGBioDiv as a Working Group on Biodiversity (WGBioDiv) with a mandate to deliver Biodiversity Science as an overarching theme and in a coordinated manner.
• The development of a structured work plan for ICES Biodiversity Science that considers the issues identified by SGBioDiv with regard to the availability and quality of relevant expertise and data, better integration of biodiversity information into management strategies, the development, application and utility of biodiversity indicators and future communication of ICES Biodiversity Science.

Pressures on marine biodiversity are global and, as stated in the ICES Science Plan “global problems require global approaches”.

Reference

M. Schratzberger*, P. Martinez Arbizu, J.A. Cooper, W. Eikrem, Y. Maubras, I. Narberhaus, H. Reiss, J. Roff, H. Rumohr, E. Vanden Berghe, J. Ellis* (2009) Report of ICES Study Group on Biodiversity Science. ICES CM 2009/MHC: 05, 51 pp, http://www.ices.dk/reports/MHC/2009/sgbiodiv09.pdf 

M. Schratzberger*, P. Martinez Arbizu, J.A. Cooper, W. Eikrem, Y. Maubras, I. Narberhaus, H. Reiss, J. Roff, H. Rumohr, E. Vanden Berghe, J. Ellis*

ICES CM 2009/MHC: 05, 51 pp, http://www.ices.dk/reports/MHC/2009/sgbiodiv09.pdf