Modern approaches to sustainable use of marine resources must account for the impact of many pressures on the marine ecosystem generated by utilizing goods and services. Of particular importance is the network of feeding interactions between co-existing species and populations, the food web. The workshop WKFooWI will bring together experts in food webs, marine ecology, and management, to identify available indicators that can be used to inform marine management of food-web responses.
There is a well established need to use food web indicators (structure and function) in the management of marine ecosystems, and the management of the components in those marine ecosystems. Food web indicators better and more directly represent key features of marine ecosystems and living marine resources that are often missed with less integrative measures. As such they can provide useful information on the status of the marine environment.
Such food-web indicators are currently required by the European Commission’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive, an overarching plan to reach and maintain Good Environmental Status for all European marine waters. The workshop will draw on the best available knowledge to inform and advise the Commission and EU member states on options available to implement this plan.
