3. Bright Spots

This part of the QSR 2023 highlights a number of examples where there are signs of improvement and some of the positive steps that OSPAR has taken to improve its assessments. These “bright spots” show that OSPAR action can and does have a positive impact that can help reduce pressures and improve the state of the marine environment. It also demonstrates the benefits of working together to deliver better, innovative and more effective assessment methodologies. While the targets OSPAR has set for achieving a healthy marine environment are still to be fully met, the bright spots show the positive outcomes that can result from shared commitments and regional collaboration.

1. OSPAR action has facilitated decreases in the levels of hazardous substances entering the sea

OSPAR has overseen a decline in many pollutants.

Mercury inputs via rivers approximately halved between 1990 - 1995 and 2010 - 2014 in the Greater North Sea, Celtic Seas and Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast Regions and have continued to decrease slowly since then. Over the same timeline, overall air inputs reduced by approximately one third (Figure 3.1). This is shown by the mercury concentrations found in sediment.

Figure 3.1: Estimated total inputs of mercury (waterborne – blue - and atmospheric - yellow) to OSPAR Regions I – IV in 1990–1995, 2010–2014 and 2015 - 2019. Unit: Tonne

The global ban on tributyltin (TBT), a biocide used to prevent fouling of ship hulls, has been a major victory in the fight to prevent pollution by harmful chemicals. One of the impacts of TBT is that it reduces fertility in female marine snails, a phenomenon called imposex, and snail populations close to major shipping lanes and ports have been severely affected. Significant declines in imposex occurrence have been observed in the Greater North Sea, Celtic Seas and Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast Regions (Figure 3.2).

2. OSPAR's commitment to halve nutrient inputs has improved eutrophication status

Since 1988 OSPAR has been committed to halving the pressure from excess nutrient inputs from land to the sea. For Regions I – IV of the OSPAR Maritime Area the greatest change in nitrogen inputs has been due to reductions in atmospheric nitrogen deposition, notably NOx, which decreased by about 25% between 1990 and 2019 (Figure 3.3).

Waterborne phosphorus inputs to Regions I – IV as a whole have more than halved since 1990 and continue to decrease, while the decrease in waterborne nitrogen has levelled off.

As a result, the eutrophication status of OSPAR waters has improved, based on standing biomass of primary producers (chlorophyll-a) and oxygen concentrations near the sea floor (Figure 3.4).

Figure 3.3: Time series of oxidised (blue) and reduced (orange) nitrogen deposition to all OSPAR Regions, showing small reductions in reduced nitrogen (ammonium) deposition compared with oxidised nitrogen (from Gauss et al., 2020)

Figure 3.4: Eutrophication assessment results for two of the four COMP periods covering a time span of 30 years

3. Encouraging signs that marine litter in the OSPAR Maritime Area is decreasing

OSPAR's marine litter assessments show some positive signs that measures might be working. The quantities of litter found on OSPAR beaches between 2015-2020, and of floating litter in the North Sea between 2009-2018, have decreased. Plastic production and use in Europe increased over this period. Clearly, progress has been made in preventing plastics from entering the marine environment, but marine litter remains an issue.

The OSPAR Regional Action Plans adopted in 2014 and 2022 demonstrate the value of working together in the fight against marine litter.

4. OSPAR has prevented pollution by radioactive substances

Environmental concentrations of radioactive substances are close to historical levels throughout the OSPAR Maritime Area, with progressive and substantial reductions seen in discharges from the nuclear sector over the period from 1995 to 2018 (Figure 3.6). This is in large part due to the commitment and cooperation of OSPAR Contracting Parties through the application of Best Available Techniques. Additionally, no increases in discharges of radioactive substances from the oil and gas sub-sector have occurred.

Figure 3.6: Comparison of mean total alpha and total beta (excluding tritium) discharges for the baseline period 1995-2001 (black columns) and assessment period 2012-2018 (grey columns) for the different nuclear sub-sectors

5. Action by OSPAR has reduced pollution from the oil and gas sectors

There has been a decrease in discharges of chemicals that contain hazardous substances and oil in produced water from offshore oil and gas installations since 2010. Activities that were once widespread prior to 2000, such as the discharge of untreated oil-based cuttings, have ceased and the level of oil contamination has decreased over most of the OSPAR Maritime Area.

6. OSPAR is taking action to help marine birds and marine mammals

Marine birds and marine mammals are suffering from previous exploitation, current pressures, and the increasing impacts of climate change. However, the comprehensive assessments conducted across the OSPAR Maritime Area show that there are also some bright spots. Grazing feeders like geese and some duck species are in good status. Similarly, some populations of grey seals are doing well. OSPAR is now developing a Regional Action Plan on marine birds in order to merge its collective efforts to reverse the wider population declines seen in marine bird species. OSPAR is also developing a Regional Action Plan to address underwater noise, which is a significant pressure on marine mammals.

7. Fewer non-indigenous species are arriving on our shores

Non-indigenous species (NIS) are recognised as one of the biggest threats to biodiversity world-wide. The QSR 2023 suggests that there has been a reduction in NIS introductions compared with previous OSPAR assessments. OSPAR action to prevent NIS introductions includes the adoption of the “Joint Harmonised Procedure”, together with HELCOM, for the management of ships' ballast water and sediments.

8. OSPAR monitors and assesses eutrophication status in innovative ways

OSPAR’s commitment to address the impacts of excess nutrients has catalysed the development of pioneering ways to track nutrient inputs and assess eutrophication status.

One example is OSPAR’s development of the Common Procedure Eutrophication Assessment Tool (COMPEAT). This deploys new ecologically defined assessment areas and coherent threshold values derived by using an ensemble of 3D biogeochemical models, driven by state-of-the-art hydrological models, to develop assessment thresholds– work which is probably unique globally. This method of assessing eutrophication problem areas is more consistent than in previous assessments where the outcome of the assessment changed at country borders (Figure 3.7).

For the first time, OSPAR’s coordinated monitoring of waterborne and atmospheric inputs of nutrients is being combined with information from satellite imagery of algal biomass in order to produce highly accurate portrayals of eutrophication trends and hotspots. This information enables OSPAR’s Contracting Parties to take action to reduce nutrient inputs and lessen the risk of eutrophication.

9. OSPAR’s most ambitious assessments to date fully dedicated to ocean climate change and ocean acidification have been delivered as part of the QSR 2023

The Climate Change Thematic Assessment and the Ocean Acidification assessment are OSPAR’s most ambitious assessments to date fully dedicated to ocean climate change, ocean acidification and their impacts. They bring together information on physiochemical changes in the environment and on the pressures and impacts resulting from climate change and ocean acidification. This includes impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem services and human activities. They also provide an analysis of the state of play in the responses to the climate emergency: mitigation, resilience and adaptation.

10. OSPAR is working cooperatively to improve the status of fish

The QSR 2023 represents the first time that OSPAR has assessed both commercially targeted fish species and non-targeted sensitive fish species in an integrated way to describe the overall status of fish. This was only made possible by working with other organisations, especially the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). In order to further improve the status of fish, OSPAR will continue to deepen its collaborative work with other authorities.

11. OSPAR’s Marine Protected Area network has increased significantly, including huge new ones in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction

OSPAR has expanded its network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Contracting Parties are continuously working together to create a regionally coherent network of MPAs intended to offer protection for all species and habitats, but especially those considered under threat or in decline.

As of October 2021, the OSPAR Network of MPAs numbered 583, including eight collectively designated in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ)., OSPAR’s MPAs have a total surface area of 1 468 053 km², covering 10,8% of the OSPAR Maritime Area.

A recent success is the very large North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Sea basin MPA designated at the OSPAR Ministerial Meeting in 2021, which extends over an area comparable to the size of France.

12. New developments in methods of assessing pelagic habitats

Pelagic habitats (the open-water environments occupied by phytoplankton and zooplankton) are a relatively little-known and complex component of the marine ecosystem. OSPAR is a pioneer in assessing trends in productivity, species composition and biodiversity and linking them to anthropogenic pressures. For the QSR 2023, OSPAR has delivered its first integrated assessment of pelagic habitats, a leap forward compared with previous assessments.

13. Several OSPAR Contracting Parties take measures to protect cold-water coral reefs

The North-East Atlantic is a global hot spot for cold-water coral reefs. OSPAR has brought the poor overall status of Lophelia pertusa reefs to the attention of the competent authorities by including them on the OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Habitats. In response, several OSPAR Contracting Parties have introduced national legislation to restrict fishing activities in areas where these reefs occur and/or have increased their mapping efforts, resulting in the discovery and subsequent protection of new reefs. The QSR 2023 assessment of Lophelia reefs did not detect any further deterioration, which could be a sign that conservation measures are beginning to have an effect.

Based on the QSR 2023 findings, OSPAR has committed to developing a Regional Action Plan for benthic shelf habitats which will identify regional measures for improving the status of these habitats in the OSPAR Maritime Area.