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Environmental information systems
WISE Marine provides access to data and information on the state of and pressures on Europe’s seas, and on actions that can be taken to protect and conserve them.
In the spotlight
Challenges for Europe’s seas
More efforts are needed to achieve the sustainable use of Europe’s marine resources and ensure their availability for future generations.
EU countries have reduced some pressures in the last decades, but marine ecosystems are still impacted by multiple pressures from human activities at sea and on land, which is intensified by climate change. As a consequence, marine species and habitats are still not in good condition.
The resilience of marine ecosystems against climate change makes a big contribution to that of the planet, but the ongoing pressures reduce this marine resilience.
Responding to these challenges requires fundamental changes to make our society more sustainable than today
Recently released
EEA briefing. How climate change impacts marine life
This briefing summarises some of the ways in which climate change is impacting Europe’s marine ecosystems. It identifies how various ecosystem features are influenced by climate change and spotlights potential areas of concern. It also highlights areas where marine life may be more impacted by climate change compared with other areas.
This work supports the recent integration of climate change as a key consideration in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). It does this by presenting a spatial description of the vulnerabilities of marine areas to climate change.
