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1 1.10 Application of estuarine and coastal classifications in marine ...

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<strong>in</strong>formation at the species level. It was first commissioned <strong>in</strong> 1999 to support implementation <strong>of</strong><br />

the EC Habitats Directive <strong>and</strong> the UK Biodiversity Action Plan <strong>in</strong> the seas around Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

Scotl<strong>and</strong>. The MarLIN def<strong>in</strong>ition recognizes that sensitivity is dependent on the <strong>in</strong>tolerance <strong>of</strong> a<br />

species or habitat to damage from an external factor <strong>and</strong> the time taken for its subsequent<br />

recovery. For example, a very sensitive species or habitat is one that is very adversely affected<br />

by an external factor aris<strong>in</strong>g from human activities or natural events (killed/destroyed, 'high'<br />

<strong>in</strong>tolerance) <strong>and</strong> is expected to recover over a very long period <strong>of</strong> time, i.e. >10 or up to 25 years<br />

('low'; recoverability) (Figure 21). MarLIN have developed st<strong>and</strong>ard benchmarks to enable<br />

comparative assessment <strong>of</strong> sensitivity relative to a specified change <strong>in</strong> the environment based on<br />

best available <strong>in</strong>formation from scientific studies<br />

(http://www.marl<strong>in</strong>.ac.uk/sensitivityrationale.php). Where there is <strong>in</strong>sufficient <strong>in</strong>formation to<br />

assess the recoverability <strong>of</strong> a habitat or species the ‘precautionary pr<strong>in</strong>ciple’ is adopted <strong>and</strong> the<br />

recovery will be assumed to take a very long time i.e. ‘low’ recoverability <strong>in</strong> the derivation <strong>of</strong> a<br />

sensitivity rank.<br />

There are a number <strong>of</strong> other approaches to sensitivity assessment, such as that developed<br />

for fish<strong>in</strong>g activities by Hall et al. (2008). Stelzenmüller et al. (2010) developed a mar<strong>in</strong>e spatial<br />

risk assessment framework for the UK cont<strong>in</strong>ental shelf assess<strong>in</strong>g the vulnerability <strong>of</strong> 11 fish <strong>and</strong><br />

shellfish species to aggregate extraction. The authors calculated a sensitivity <strong>in</strong>dex (SI) us<strong>in</strong>g<br />

species life-history characteristics <strong>and</strong> modeled the spatial distributions <strong>of</strong> species us<strong>in</strong>g<br />

geostatistical techniques applied to long-term monitor<strong>in</strong>g data. Sensitivity maps were produced<br />

by merg<strong>in</strong>g sensitivity <strong>in</strong>dices <strong>and</strong> predicted species distributions which were then overlayed<br />

with the occurrence <strong>of</strong> aggregate extraction activity <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>shore waters, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g sediment plume<br />

estimations, to describe species vulnerability to dredg<strong>in</strong>g (Figure 22).<br />

53

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