MOPODECO: Modeling of the Potential coverage of habitat-forming species and Development of tools to evaluate the Conservation status of the marine Annex I habitats

MOPODECO has aimed to fill the gaps in harmonisation of the definition of the EU Habitat Directive Annex I habitats and the view on the main pressures and threats to these habitats between the Nordic countries and countries surrounding the Baltic Sea.

The project has also aimed to develop standards for describing the functional characteristics of the Annex I habitats, including standards for application of modelling tools for quantifying the coverage of habitat-forming species.

In MOPODECO, the harmonised definitions, pressure evaluation matrices, functional descriptors and habitat model application standards are integrated into proposals for unified indicators of favourable conservation status for Annex I habitats in Nordic waters.

Common standards for assessing the favourable conservation status of these habitats are suggested by applying these indicators in case studies from the northern and southern parts of the Baltic Sea.