Case Study Presentation to MESH ConferenceRegional Environmental Monitoring & Mapping

in

The East Channel Region

Acknowledgements

CefasEnglish Nature (Natural England)

English HeritageThe Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Defra MFAAndrews Survey

Liverpool University, Department of GeographyHR Wallingford

The Crown EstateBMAPA

Marine Ecological SurveysUnicomarine

MarineseenFisheries Consultees

The Maritime and Coastguard AgencyICES HAWG

ECEN Meeting AttendeesTWG Meeting Attendees??The ECA would like to acknowledge the considered analysis, assistance and advice provided by the following organisations, companies and stakeholders;1ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

1Introduction The ECR and ECAThe East Channel Association (ECA) consists of 6 companies

The role of the ECA provide a focus for coordinating regional monitoring and management of operations

The ECR is situated in the Eastern English Channel approx 20km south of Eastbourne

8 areas consisting of 12 individual permission areas

Eastern Channel region of 24,000km2

Prospecting areas 1,132km2

Area applied for 150km2

Each area subjected to individual EIA.

Concerns regarding the cumulative and in-combination effects of applications consideration of the regional impacts of the development.

??10km approxCurrent Status of Licences and Applications

461 Permission granted, active.473, 474 & 475 Permission granted, inactive.458 & 464-2 Permission awaited.477 Permission awaited.478 Permission awaited.2ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

2The Regional Environmental Assessment??The REA provides the foundation upon which the regional monitoring and management of aggregate extraction is based. It is the intention of the ECA to work towards repeating the REA process periodically through the term of ECA licences.The ECA commissioned Regional Environmental Assessment (REA)

Provides the regional basis for assessment of impacts.

Models of impact developed to determine the potential impact of simultaneous operations at several sites.

Collation of environmental data from individual licence applications undertaken

Regional studies of fishing, navigation, archaeology etc

All this information was incorporated into the Regional Environmental Assessment (Posford Haskoning, 2003).

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3Design of a Regional Monitoring Programme??The coherence of monitoring activities in the ECR, and the improved cost/benefit of pooling resources, are key to ensuring the continuation of this industry driven initiative.Main recommendation of the REA was that the ECA undertook a coordinated programme of regional monitoring

Ensure compatibility and comparability of data; prevent unnecessary use of monitoring resources through pursuit of individual monitoring programmes

Design aided by key government advisors and key stakeholders

Two main threads: physical process monitoring (sediment mobilisation, deposition and transport) & biological community monitoring

Physical monitoring focussed study at type site 473 East (also regional sediment description)

Biological monitoring describe benthic, epibenthic, shellfish and demersal fish communities across the region4ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

4The Regional Monitoring Blueprint??The ECA Regional Monitoring Blueprint v0.3 completed in 2005

The document provides framework for monitoring

Provides plans for baseline sampling at the regional type site and also the regional scale

Survey methodologies provided along with framework for reporting and review of data

Biodiversity and conservation issues were considered in the ECA Biodiversity Action Plan (ECA BAP)

Blueprint constantly under review and any changes made will be accounted for in subsequent versions of the documentThe reporting and review process proposed in the Blueprint enables modification of monitoring as results are interpreted. A major review of data (REA II) is proposed in years 4-5 of ECR operations.5ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

5Methodologies and Baseline Survey Operations??FishBlueprint methodologies used to guide baseline survey operations in 2005

Large volumes of licence specific data available to inform monitoring

Data acquisition provide a description of seabed habitat and faunal communities against which impact can be monitored

Natural change considered through use of reference areas

Well established methods employed along with extensive seabed photography

Monitoring aims to describe the various levels of community structure??Shellfish &Epibenthos??Infauna, Epifauna &Sediment??In situ video & digital stills??Sidescan & collated ES data??BathymetryHabitat description6ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

6Data Analysis and Results??Extraordinary volume of data extraordinary opportunity for interpretation

Basic interpolation attempted to highlight regional habitat trends and features

Simple measures used to illustrate benthic faunal characteristics

Multivariate statistics used to marry data components (sediment, infauna, epifauna)

Region wide description of shellfish and fish communities

Community/biotope maps and charts in developmentRepeat biological surveys have been undertaken in 2006. This will enable inter-annual comparison of monitoring data early in the life of the development.7ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

7Interpretation???Interpretation will be an ongoing process

Further work to be done on baseline data set comparison with first repeat sampling

Results of plume and tracer studies will be required to enable a full comparison of empirical data with the REA model

REA II planned for years 4-5 of extraction operations

Review of data by the ECA Technical Working Group and wider stakeholder groups has been initiated during the first year of monitoringThe ECA GIS and website will be key in managing the large and diverse monitoring data set

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8Regional Scale Habitat Mapping in a MESH ContextThe MESH Project aims to produce seabed habitat maps for north-west Europe (see MESH study area) and develop international standards and protocols for seabed mapping studies.

MESH will address these issues in the following key ways: Compile available seabed habitat mapping information across north-west Europe

Provide the first seabed habitat maps for north-west Europe.

Habitat modeling developed to predict habitat distribution for unsampled areas, from the more widely available geophysical and hydrographic data.

Protocols and standards for habitat mapping will be developed, drawing upon best available expertise, to help ensure that future mapping programmes yield quality assured data that can be readily exchanged and aggregated to further improve the initial maps.

Protocols will be tested through a range of field-testing scenarios to ensure they are robust and the results repeatable.

Protocols and habitat maps will be made available via state of the art Internet-based GIS (Geographical Information Systems), providing ready access to the information for a wide range of end-users

The wide spectrum of potential end-users will be engaged from the start of the project to better understand their end needs, to encourage the supply of relevant data and to encourage the improved use of the mapping information in spatial planning, management issues and for environmental protection.In comparison, the ECA have undertaken a regional habitat monitoring programme with the following aims:for the ECRfor the ECR9ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

??9Regional Scale Habitat Mapping: ECR MESH???Habitat Mapping in the ECRHabitat Mapping through MESHEC regional context mapping

Constraints of scale addressed by extensive use of acoustic data

Possibility that work can inform classification of MESH habitats

Habitat/impact modelling

Cost/benefit aspects of workNW European seas context

Habitat modelling

Development of standards and procedures

Mapping conventionsPractical experience of habitat mapping at regional scale

Practical experience of combining diverse data sets to present a regional habitat description

Results of modelling and habitat descriptions

Clear, practical guidance from MESH regarding survey methodologies and results

Understanding of the types of data being generated by ECR and similar programmes and consideration of how such data might be used by MESH

Address resourcing issues for all parties involved

Beneficial Interaction between MESH and the ECR Monitoring Programme10ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

10 IssuesPracticality Cost/benefit of monitoring at a regional scale

Primary purpose of the data set monitoring, not research attempt to produce data capable of informing either

Confidence of interpretation over varying spatial scales best use of collated data sets and other studies (eg ALSF Eastern Channel Habitat Survey)

Determination of significance of operations in the context of habitat abundance through NW European Seas ECA Biodiversity Action Plan11ECA Regional Monitoring Case Study

??Questions?

If you would like to know more please visit

www.eastchannel.info??Data presented with kind permission of theEast Channel Associationby

Emu Limited

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