Developing a system for mapping sensitive marine areas

Natural values of marine ecosystems often overlap with human activities. In order to reduce or even eliminate conflicts arising a considerable amount of information is needed: identification of marine activities, their location and scale, as well as the environment's response to separate pressures or different sets of impacts. Furthermore, the value itself can be estimated differently, since valuation assessments range from the anthropocentric to bio-centric point of view. In this study, the concept of a system for mapping the most sensitive marine areas in the Lithuanian marine area is introduced. It is based on the sensitivity assessment numerical scales of species and biotopes. It is being integrated into the geospatial database. Integration of such information into a GIS - based multi-criteria evaluation system can generate sensitivity maps of benthic habitats. These maps can provide important information on the most threatened to anthropogenic pressures marine areas. The system could also serve as a tool for marine spatial planning and providing a good background for decision making, i.e. the placement of activities in the least sensitive areas.