Management and planning resources
MarLIN provides information on the likely sensitivity of marine species and habitats to the effects of human activities and natural events. Human activities (and natural events) can cause changes in the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the marine environment, and hence, affect marine species and habitats. Any one activity (or natural event) can affect a number of environmental parameters and, therefore, result in a number of pressures. A 'standard' list of activities has been developed by the SNCBs, OSPAR and the EU under auspices of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and the UK's HBDSEG (Healthy & Biologically Diverse Seas Evidence Group), together with a standard list of pressures to form a scoping matrix (ref.).
Activity and pressure search tools
A search tool uses the standard 'scoping' matrix to link human activities and their potential pressures to species or habitats sensitive to change in those pressures. Users can search by activity or by pressure.
[ Activity searches]
Sensitivity assessment
Sensitivity assessment is based on a systematic review of available evidence (the evidence base) on the effects of pressures on marine species or habitats, and a subsequent scoring or sensitivity against a standard list of pressures, and their benchmark levels of effect.
The MarLIN website hosts sensitivity assessments based on the two major approaches in the UK; the MarLIN approach (Tyler-Walters, Hiscock et al., 1999-2010) and the Marine Evidence based Sensitivity Assessment (MarESA) approach 2014 (Tillin et al., 2010; Tillin, Tyler-Walters et al., 2013-2015).
The sensitivity of marine species and habitats can be interrogated using the 'species' and 'habitat' menus provided above.
