We’re delighted to announce the publication of the OSPAR Regional Action Plan for Benthic Habitats (RAP-Benthic) 2026–2035 — a major milestone in our shared efforts to protect, conserve and restore the habitats and ecosystems on the seabed of the North-East Atlantic. Developed through years of collaboration, expertise and stakeholder engagement, the Action Plan sets out an ambitious programme for regional action and provides a strong foundation for healthier, more resilient benthic ecosystems for the decade ahead.
Benthic habitats — the ecosystems found on and within the seabed — are fundamental to healthy and resilient marine ecosystems. They provide feeding, nursery and shelter grounds for marine life, support food webs, contribute to water and sediment quality, and play an important role in carbon storage.
Yet many benthic habitats remain under pressure from human activities. OSPAR’s Quality Status Report 2023 highlighted continued degradation and decline in parts of the OSPAR Maritime Area, despite improvements in some areas and advances in monitoring, assessment and marine protection.
The new RAP-Benthic turns this evidence into a programme for coordinated regional action.
OSPAR Executive Secretary Susana Salvador said: “This Action Plan demonstrates OSPAR’s collective ambition for a healthier, more resilient North-East Atlantic seabed. It is the result of significant scientific, technical and international cooperation across the OSPAR region. It provides a shared framework for OSPAR countries to turn knowledge and ambition into coordinated practical action — strengthening the recovery and resilience of benthic habitats across the North-East Atlantic.”
Six priorities for a healthier seabed
The RAP-Benthic brings together existing OSPAR work and introduces new actions to address identified gaps. Its work is organised around six interconnected themes:
Offshore wind and renewable energy — developing regional guidance and evidence to minimise and mitigate impacts on benthic habitats.
Mobile bottom-contact fishing — improving understanding of impacts on seabed habitats and the ecological effects of changes in fishing activity, helping to inform management by the competent authorities.
Restoration — supporting the restoration of degraded benthic shelf habitats.
Area-based conservation — strengthening the contribution of area-based conservation measures to benthic habitat protection.
Cumulative impacts — improving understanding of the combined effects of multiple pressures on the seafloor.
Climate change and ocean acidification — strengthening understanding of how these pressures interact with and affect benthic ecosystems.
Together, these themes recognise that pressures on the seabed rarely occur in isolation and that effective protection and recovery require cooperation across sectors, borders and areas of expertise.
From shared evidence to collective action
The Action Plan covers benthic habitats on the continental shelf and slope within the OSPAR Maritime Area, down to a depth of 800 metres, including relevant habitats on OSPAR’s list of threatened and/or declining species and habitats.
It has been developed in response to evidence from OSPAR’s Quality Status Report 2023 and through extensive collaboration. This included an online consultation as well as two stakeholder workshops.
The plan is designed to complement and add value to national and international action. It will support delivery of OSPAR’s North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030, particularly its objectives to protect marine biodiversity, restore degraded benthic habitats and safeguard the structure and functions of the seabed.
Co-authors of the plan, Cristina Herbon (UK) and Marianne Olsen (Norway), said “The Regional Action Plan is an essential response to the QSR 2023 finding conclusion on benthic habitats continue degradation across the North-East Atlantic, with many threatened and declining habitats showing no signs of improvement. By coordinating action at the regional level, the Plan will strengthen our shared evidence base, improve our understanding of changes in benthic habitat condition, and support the implementation of scientifically robust regional actions for their protection and recovery.”
A decade of action for the seabed
The RAP-Benthic will run from 2026 to 2035, with progress reported annually and a mid-term review planned for 2030. Each action has defined outputs, delivery timelines and evaluation and impact criteria, allowing the plan to adapt as new evidence and lessons emerge.
Implementation will follow a lead-country approach, with OSPAR Contracting Parties working alongside Observer Organisations and other partners where appropriate.
The publication of the RAP-Benthic marks an important step in OSPAR’s commitment to a clean, healthy and biologically diverse North-East Atlantic Ocean that is productive, used sustainably and resilient to climate change and ocean acidification.
The Action Plan demonstrates what can be achieved when countries work together at the regional level — combining science, shared evidence and coordinated action to give the North-East Atlantic’s seabed the protection and recovery it needs.
The RAP‑Benthic covers all benthic habitats requiring recovery or restoration across the continental shelf and slope within the OSPAR Maritime Area, down to a depth of 800 m. The plan includes shelf‑slope systems because pressures and activities on the shelf often extend onto adjacent slopes; these areas therefore need to be considered functional extensions of the shelf environment
