Project
Cumulatieve effecten van menselijke activiteiten
Integrated ecosystem assessments and ecosystem-based management consider the cumulative effects of all anthropogenic pressures and are widely recognized as the means to achieve sustainability, conserve biodiversity and the deterioration of the functioning of the marine ecosystem. Cumulative effect assessments (CEA) and/or cumulative impact assessments (CIA) defined as: “a systematic procedure for identifying and evaluating the significance of effects from multiple pressures and/or activities on single or multiple receptors” are therefore gaining considerable attention in scientific literature. CEA or CIA provide management options, by quantifying the overall expected impacts caused by multiple pressures and by identifying critical pressures or pressure combinations and vulnerable receptors. Ecological risk assessments have often been used to assess the cumulative effects of multiple human pressures on the marine ecosystem. Here we develop a CIA that can guide marine (or maritime) spatial planning in the North Sea.
With the energy transition and its requirement for extensive offshore windfarms, the food transition and its requirment to produce more seafood as well as the aim to protect 30% of the North Sea area comes the need for marine spatial planning and the tools to guide this process. The North Sea CIA is specifically intended for this and as such it is one of the case studies of the ICES WGCEAM. The North Sea CIA will not only assess the potential impacts of all human activities on biodiversity but also on its capacity to supply ecosystem services.