The Biological Diversity and Ecosystems Strategy has a very broad focus, since it is concerned with all human activities (excluding those which may cause pollution) which can have an adverse effect on the protection and conservation of the ecosystems and the biological diversity of the North East Atlantic. (Human activities with the potential to cause pollution are addressed by the other strategies). However, programmes and measures relating to questions of fisheries management cannot be adopted by the OSPAR Commission. The attention of the competent authorities and relevant international bodies is to be drawn to concerns related to such questions.

The Strategy has four elements:

• ecological quality objectives: in support of the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities, a pilot project on ecological quality objectives for the North Sea has been started;
• species and habitats: assessments are made of species and habitats that are threatened or in decline, and programmes and measures are developed for their protection;
• marine protected areas: an ecologically coherent network of well managed marine protected areas is being created;
• human activities: the human activities in the OSPAR maritime area which may adversely affect it are being assessed, and programmes and measures to safeguard against such harm are being developed.

To implement this Strategy, the OSPAR Commission has adopted or developed:

	Decisions, recommendations and other agreements
	Implementation Reports and Implementation Reporting Formats
	Ecological Quality Objectives
	Initial OSPAR List of threatened and/or declining species and habitats
	Mapping of habitats on the Initial OSPAR List
	OSPAR Network of Marine Protected Areas
	Background Documents on human activities
	Reports and other publications on biodiversity and ecosystems
	Data reporting formats
	Biodiversity Committee Work Programme
	Environmental Impacts of Offshore Renewable Energy Developments - Website for the Exchange of Information

Recent work by the OSPAR Commission on marine biodiversity and ecosystems is described in this extract from the Annual Report of the OSPAR Commission 2006/2007.

 

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