DEVOTool

DEVOTool

This software allows navigating a catalogue of existing indicators of marine biodiversity, within all European Regional Seas. In addition, it contains also indicators that address non-indigenous species, food webs, and seafloor integrity. These scientific indicators are potential tools that can be used to assess the environmental status of European seas within the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), namely under Descriptors 1, 2, 4 and 6.

D1 Biological Diversity

D2 Non-indigenous species

D4 Food webs

D6 Sea-floor integrity

Currently, the catalogue includes 557 entries, i.e., indicators, which have been collected from Member States, Regional Sea Conventions and other sources, e.g. previous EU Directives and research activities. The catalogue contains information on metadata ranging from indicator descriptions, data requirements, developmental status to geographical coverage and applicable habitats, biodiversity components and related human pressures. Both operational indicators and indicators in earlier stages of development are included.

The aims of the catalogue are twofold: firstly, to identify the strengths and possible gaps of the European indicator set in order to focus the development of new indicators where it is most urgently needed; and secondly, to foster transfer of know-how across countries and marine regions, so that indicators operational in one area could be potentially adapted to other areas and used in the environmental assessment.

 

 

The Catalogue of Indicators will be regularly updated.