Figure 9.2 Satellite image showing bloom of the alga Emiliana huxleyi in July 2003
Source: NASA
9.3 Closer integration of interest groups
The Government will:
– establish a reference group for the work on the ecosystem-based management regime that represents the various interests involved, including business and industry, environmen
tal organisations and Sami interest groups.
The Reference Group will be given the opportu
nity, through meetings with the bodies responsi
ble for implementing the management plan and in other appropriate ways, to express its views on the implementation of the plan.
Box 9.1 Elements of the monitoring system
Ecological quality
The ecological quality of an ecosystem is an expression of the state of the system, taking into account the physical, biological and chemical conditions, including the effects of anthropogenic pressures.
Indicators
An indicator is a variable that in the present context provides specific information about a particular part of the ecosystem. Indicators will be used to assess how far the manage
ment goals have been reached and whether trends in the ecosystem are favourable.
Reference values
Reference values correspond to the ecological quality expected in a similar but more or less undisturbed ecosystem, adjusted for natural variation and development trends. Precaution
ary reference values are used for harvestable stocks.
Action thresholds
The action threshold is the point at which a change in an indicator in relation to the refer
ence value is so great that new measures must be considered.
9.5.1 Introduction
Chapter 7 sets out the goals of the management plan for the Barents Sea–Lofoten area. Ecosys
tem-based management of human activity in this area must be based on regular assessments of trends in ecosystems in relation to these goals.
Through a system for monitoring ecological qual
ity, the management authorities will be warned of changes that require action. However, it is only possible to take necessary and appropriate mea
sures on the basis of information that clearly dis
tinguishes between anthropogenic pressures and changes that occur independently of human acti
vity. The Government will therefore establish an integrated monitoring system that will give the
competent authorities a better operational tool for managing activity in the area. This is in line with the work being done in OSPAR and the EU.
9.5.2 Elements of the monitoring system To make it possible to monitor ecological quality in the Barents Sea–Lofoten area, it is essential to choose indicators that are representative, estab
lish reference values for the indicators and deter
mine the action thresholds at which new mea
sures should be considered (see box 9.1 for an explanation of these terms).
The only pressures on an ecosystem over which we have any influence are those caused by human activity. But in order to distinguish be
tween the effects of human activity and natural fluctuations in an ecosystem it is essential to mo
nitor a large number of factors that are fundamental to the state and functioning of the ecosystem, for example temperature, salinity, water transport, extent of the sea ice, nutrient distribution, and the occurrence and production of phytoplankton and zooplankton. There are naturally no action thresh
olds for these indicators. Monitoring of these variables also provides information on which to base predictions of changes in production condi
tions, which in turn will affect the harvesting of marine resources.
Indicators are largely chosen on the basis of their relevance to ecosystem management, their relevance in relation to Norway’s international obligations, and whether they are feasible in practice, in addition to their role in the ecosystem.
Examples of indicators are the population trend for common guillemot and level of pollutants in polar bears.
The reference values for the various indicators are as far as possible determined on the basis of scientific advice, and will be further refined as our knowledge increases. For example, precautionary reference points for spawning stocks are used as reference values for pressure on fish stocks. The reference values for pollutant levels in polar bears are zero for anthropogenic substances and natural background levels for other substances.
There is already a great deal of monitoring acti
vity in the Barents Sea–Lofoten area and ways of expanding or making better use of existing pro
grammes should be considered. New indicators to be introduced under the monitoring system will as far as possible be based on existing long time series and be quantifiable. In areas where it is pos
sible to set action thresholds, the indicators must
be able to show the impact of any remedial mea
sures. In the above example of pollutants in polar bears, the action threshold for anthropogenic pollu
tants is any value above zero. As well as maintai
ning long time series, the monitoring system for marine ecosystems must also be dynamic and flex
ible enough to be changed and updated in the light of new knowledge. Since the proposal presented in this white paper is for a first-generation system, the Advisory Group on Monitoring of the Barents Sea described in section 9.2 above will have a central role in its implementation and further develop
ment. Indicators for which new funds are required for development or monitoring are marked “new”
or “under development” in the table in Appendix 3.
The proposed action thresholds for the various environmental pressures are not intended as mea
sures of performance. They indicate that the state of a particular indicator is such that the authorities should consider taking remedial measures.
9.5.3 Monitoring of selected indicators in the Barents Sea–Lofoten area
An overview of the proposed indicators for moni
toring environmental quality is given in Appendix 3, Table 3.1. Action thresholds are given for indi
cators that reflect anthropogenic pressures.
Although human activity in the area has little im
pact on changes in the physical and chemical eco
system variables or on blooms of phytoplankton and zooplankton, it is important to monitor these variables systematically. Most of the indicators list
ed in Table 3.1 have been chosen because long time series are already available for them and because they are already being systematically monitored.
The objective of managing biodiversity in the Barents Sea–Lofoten area is to maintain the diver
sity (in terms of habitats, species and genetic material) and productivity of the ecosystem (see Chapter 7). Maintaining biodiversity is also essen
tial for the sustainable management of the har
vestable resources, and the fish resources in the area are being extensively monitored. The indica
tors with action thresholds warn of changes in the biological parts of the ecosystems that are a direct result of pressures from human activity in the area or of long-range transboundary pollution.
9.5.4 Monitoring of pollutants
Pollution indicators and action thresholds have been chosen with a view to measuring perfor
mance in relation to pollution and food safety
goals. The choice of indicators is determined by their role in the ecosystem, whether they are fea
sible in practice, and their relevance to ecosystem management and in relation to Norway’s interna
tional obligations. Trends for certain commercial species are also being monitored in order to assess their quality as food for human consump
tion. In the event of a major oil spill it is essential that a basic monitoring system is already in place so that the long-term effects can be monitored and assessed.
Figure 3.1 in Appendix 3 lists current and pro
posed pollution indicators and recommended sample types. Long time series should be built up for monitoring pollutants. The final choice of indi
cators is to be decided by the Advisory Group on Monitoring the Barents Sea described in section 9.2 above.
9.5.5 Implementation
As far as possible, the integrated monitoring sys
tem will be built on existing and planned monitor
ing programmes and be in line with Norway’s international obligations. This will ensure that existing time series can be continued and that future research and monitoring needs are taken into account in the ongoing development of the management plan. New monitoring programmes should as far as possible be carried out within the framework of existing programmes. It is not possi
ble for a system for monitoring ecological quality to monitor all the important populations. Special programmes are needed for this, such as the Sea
bird Population Management and Petroleum Ope
rations (SEAPOP) and the ecosystem surveys car
ried out by the Institute of Marine Research. Revi
sion of the system and inclusion of further indicators to ensure integrated, ecosystem-based management of the area will be considered in the light of the reports to be submitted in 2010. The Advisory Group on Monitoring of the Barents Sea will ensure that the monitoring system is coordi
nated as necessary with other, corresponding monitoring programmes in other sea areas, in the coastal zone and in freshwater. The Government will initiate new monitoring programmes if this is necessary to complete the reporting required by the monitoring system and will in general continue and strengthen existing monitoring, especially of hazardous substances, at all levels in marine ecosystems. It will also be necessary to review the integrated air, sea and land monitoring pro
gramme for the Arctic.
Figure 9.3 Particularly valuable and vulnerable areas
Source: Ministry of the Environment
9.6 Management based on the characteristics of different areas
Management of the Barents Sea–Lofoten area will be based on the assessments carried out during the preparation of this management plan. This means that the adopted measures and activities will be adapted to conditions in different areas, including the areas that have been identified in Chapter 3 as particularly valuable and vulnerable.
In these areas, special caution will be required and special considerations will apply to the assess
ment of standards for and restrictions on activities.
Conditions for petroleum activities, fishing and maritime transport in these areas will be deter
mined within the framework outlined in Chapter 10.
In connection with the work on a national marine protection plan, it has been proposed to establish marine protected areas in the Barents Sea–Lofoten area, for example to facilitate research and monitoring.
9.7 Better surveys
The Government will:
– through the MAREANO programme for developing a marine areal database for Norwe
gian waters, seek to ensure that the seabed and its biological, physical and chemical environ
ment in the southern part of the Barents Sea, from the Lofoten Islands to the Russian border, is surveyed by 2010.
– facilitate the long-term expansion of the know
ledge base relating to seabird populations through SEAPOP, the Seabird Population Management and Petroleum Operations. This will mean that sectors whose activities put pressure on the marine environment, and con
sequently on seabird populations, will be pro
vided with a better basis for implementing the necessary measures.
– initiate a general survey of hazardous sub
stances in the ecosystem.
– further develop surveys of risk trends in the Barents Sea–Lofoten area.