Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) GES Assessment 2024 - Descriptor 4

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is a European legislation which “aims to achieve Good Environment Status (GES) for all marine waters in Europe and protect the resource base for marine related economic and social activities” (DHLGH). The MSFD was adopted in 2008 and is implemented in six-year cycles. It is currently in cycle 3 (2023-2028), with EU Member States required to report to the EU every two years. It is structured around 11 descriptors, which describe the state of the marine environment, as well as anthropogenic (manmade) pressures on the marine environment.

This dataset displays the Good Environmental Status (GES) classification for Descriptor 4 (D4) – Food Webs, focussing on the Cycle 3 GES assessment results.

Descriptor 4 examines the structure, functioning, and resilience of marine food webs, ensuring that:

• Species at different trophic levels occur at appropriate abundance • Energy flow through the ecosystem is balanced and sustainable • Key predator–prey relationships are maintained

The dataset reflects integrated assessments that consider multiple ecosystem components, including plankton, forage fish, and higher trophic level predators, to evaluate overall food web status.

Assessments for Descriptor 4 are provided across two Marine Reporting Units (MRUs): OSPAR Region 3 (ACS-IE-MS-008) and OSPAR Region 5 (ACS-IE-MS-009).