Assessment of marine environmental health

The challenge

Ensuring good marine environmental health is a key requirement set by European regulations such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). However, integrated assessment of the ecological and environmental status of the oceans is a complex challenge that requires comparable, reliable methods capable of covering everything from physico-chemical parameters to biodiversity across different habitats. Public authorities needed robust scientific tools to diagnose human pressures, anticipate impacts, and ensure the sustainable provision of ecosystem services.

The solution

Since 1994, AZTI has developed a set of pioneering methodologies and tools that enable comprehensive assessment of marine environmental status:

• PCQI (Physico-Chemical Quality Index): analyses the physico-chemical quality of water.

• SPI (Spanish Phytoplankton Index): assesses the status of phytoplankton communities.

• RICQI (Rocky Intertidal Community Quality Index): measures the ecological quality of macroalgal communities.

• AMBI and M-AMBI (AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index): global reference tools for assessing the ecological status of benthic communities.

• AFI (AZTI’s Fish Index): a tool to evaluate the status of fish populations.

• NEAT (Nested Environmental status Assessment Tool): an integrated solution to assess overall marine environmental status.

In addition, AZTI is advancing new methodologies to:

• Monitor marine organisms from microbes to marine mammals.

• Assess ecosystem services across different habitats.

• Progress towards ecosystem-based management through simple socio-ecological systems (SES).

• Analyse the effects of fishing gears that interact with the seabed.

Together, these tools support marine governance and guide strategic decisions aimed at minimising human pressures on marine ecosystems.

The results

• A suite of internationally recognised indices, now used in multiple countries to assess the ecological and environmental quality of the marine environment.

• Reliable and comparable diagnoses that support compliance with the WFD and the MSFD.

• A solid scientific basis for marine management focused on biodiversity protection and the maintenance of ecosystem services.

• Innovative methodologies that expand monitoring and assessment capacity in coastal and marine ecosystems.

Thanks to these tools, AZTI has consolidated its position as an international reference in marine environmental assessment and in the development of scientific solutions in support of sustainability.