

State and trends of ecological processes
State and trends of ecological processes
This assessment summary has changed in 2016
- The new 2016 assessment summary combines ecological processes, physical & chemical processes and pests, introduced species. diseases and algal blooms
Connectivity—spatial/physical disjunctions
This assessment summary component has changed in 2016.
- Connectivity within the marine environment is predominantly driven by physical processes which influence spatial/physical disjunctions, biological, migration , flyways, recruitment, settlement, genome structures, genetic adaptation. The assessments were merged and the title revised to reflect the primary driver of connectivity in the marine environment and focus the assessment on an area where the most information is available.
- This component is now included in a different summary
South-east has been significantly affected
Topics
Connectivity—biological, migration, flyways
This assessment summary component has changed in 2016.
- Connectivity within the marine environment is predominantly driven by physical processes which influence spatial/physical disjunctions, biological, migration , flyways, recruitment, settlement, genome structures, genetic adaptation. The assessments were merged and the title revised to reflect the primary driver of connectivity in the marine environment and focus the assessment on an area where the most information is available.
- This component is now included in a different summary
South-east in poor condition and continues to decline
Topics
Connectivity—recruitment, settlement
This assessment summary component has changed in 2016.
- Connectivity within the marine environment is predominantly driven by physical processes which influence spatial/physical disjunctions, biological, migration , flyways, recruitment, settlement, genome structures, genetic adaptation. The assessments were merged and the title revised to reflect the primary driver of connectivity in the marine environment and focus the assessment on an area where the most information is available.
- This component is now included in a different summary
Variable across the regions, improving in some and declining in others
Topics
Connectivity—genome structures, genetic adaptation
This assessment summary component has changed in 2016.
- Connectivity within the marine environment is predominantly driven by physical processes which influence spatial/physical disjunctions, biological, migration , flyways, recruitment, settlement, genome structures, genetic adaptation. The assessments were merged and the title revised to reflect the primary driver of connectivity in the marine environment and focus the assessment on an area where the most information is available.
- This component is now included in a different summary
Knowledge base very limited and condition hard to assess
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Knowledge base very limited and condition hard to assess
Topics
Whale feeding grounds significantly affected by human activities in the south-west and north-west
Topics
Water column, pelagic productivity
no longer required
- Primary productivity (production at the base of the food chain) is quite distinct from secondary productivity (production at the next level up from the base of the food chain)and therefore it doesn't make scientific sense to combine them into 'pelagic productivity'. Assessments of the water column are already presented in Water column inner shelf (0-25m), water column outer shelf (25-250m), water column slope (250-700m), water column abyss (>700m). There is no need to repeat the assessment again here
Good to very good in all regions
Topics
Benthic productivity
This component is now included in a different summary
Good to very good in all regions
Topics
Condition poor in south-east
Topics
Knowledge base very limited and condition hard to assess
Topics
Condition of the worst areas very poor in the south-west and north
Topics
Herbivory processes
This component is now included in a different summary
Declines observed in the east
Topics
Condition poor in the south-east
Topics
Microbial processes
This assessment summary component has changed in 2016.
- The assessment title was revised to support provision a comprehensive assessment for the marine environment.
- This component is now included in a different summary
Knowledge base very limited and condition hard to assess
Topics
Assessed four ecological process features that principally occur in only one region
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Assessment Summary Key
Grades
Very good
There are no significant changes in ecological processes as a result of human activities
Good
There are some significant changes in ecological processes as a result of human activities in some areas,
but these are not to the extent that they are significantly affecting ecosystem functions
Poor
There are substantial changes in ecological processes as a result of human activities, and these are significantly
affecting ecosystem functions in some areas
Very poor
There are substantial changes in ecological processes across a wide area of the region as a result of human
activities, and ecosystem functions are seriously affected in much of the region
Recent Trends
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Improving
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Stable
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Deteriorating
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Unclear
Confidence
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Adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus
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Somewhat adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence or high level of consensus
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Limited: Limited evidence or limited consensus
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Very limited: Limited evidence and limited consensus
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Low: Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment
Comparability
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Comparable: Grade and trend are comparable to the previous assessment
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Somewhat comparable: Grade and trend are somewhat comparable to the previous assessment
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Not comparable: Grade and trend are not comparable to the previous assessment
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Not previously assessed