C6: Diverse seas: status of threatened and declining features
Short Description
This indicator of diverse seas shows changes in the status of vulnerable features flagged for protection, either listed in national legislation or international agreements. These features include the features of conservation interest protected in Marine Protected Areas, Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act Section 41 habitats and species of principle importance for conservation, and under the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR), amongst others. The overall indicator will be derived from the status of the individual features.
Readiness and links to data
This indicator is not available for reporting in 2022 as further development and testing is required. The indicator will show the status of UK-relevant threatened and declining marine features with associated summary statistics, such as.
- Total number of UK-relevant features assessed, including information on the nature and type of assessment.
- Summaries of the overall status of assessed features: for example, the total number of UK-relevant features assessed as having good, poor, or unknown overall status.
- Observed changes or trends from previous assessments and/or known historic baselines, where sufficient data are available.
Initial C6 assessments will be undertaken using UK-relevant information published by OSPAR’s Intersessional Correspondence Group on the Protection of Species and Habitats (ICG-POSH).
Existing OSPAR publications will be used, with updates to the indicator when new status assessments become available, following their publication in the OSPAR Quality Status Report 2023. The indicator will be flexible, with intended scope for integration with wider datasets, where relevant data are publicly available.