Status Assessments
The OSPAR Strategy for the Protection and Conservation of Ecosystems and Biological Diversity foresees that the OSPAR Commission will identify species and habitats in need of protection. The OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Species and Habitats has been developed to meet this commitment. It is based on nominations by Contracting Parties and Observers to the Commission of species and habitats which they consider to be in need of priority protection.
The status assessment describes the latest changes in distribution, abundance and range of the feature, as well as any changes in the threats and pressures impacting the feature. The status assessments are updated regularly and inform OSPAR’s consideration of the effectiveness of the measures and actions that have been adopted and implemented by Contracting Parties.
