National Vegetation Classification (NVC) survey. Classifies British vegetation into a series of plant communities according to phytosociological groups using standard field methods and data analysis/classification techniques. The methodology is based on taking quadrats using a strict sampling system from stands of homogeneous vegetation.

Database comune delle Aree protette designate a livello nazionale secondo normativa emanata dal Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare. (Common Database on Designated Areas 2016 - eReporting 2017)

The boundary used for the definition of seabed/subsoil is based on the area currently designated for hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation without prejudice to Malta's continental shelf boundary. This incorporates the seabed/subsoil beneath the WFD Coastal Waters. The original data was provided by CSD in WGS 84 and subsequently transformed by ERA into ETRS89TM33. ERA has processed the data for reporting obligations emanating under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The original data was provided by CSD in WGS 84 and subsequently transformed by ERA into ETRS89TM33. ERA has processed the data for reporting obligations emanating under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The water column boundary for MSFD purposes shall be taken as a boundary which extends to 25 nm without prejudice to Malta's jurisdiction beyond this limit. This incorporates the WFD Coastal Waters.

This raster dataset represents the physical loss of the seabed in the European seas. Physical habitat loss is an extreme pressure on the marine ecosystem which was defined to include all impacts on the seabed which take more than 12 years to recover, a time span influencing even long living marine mammals and seabirds. Habitat is lost if its substrate, morphology or topography is permanently altered. The dataset is an aggregation of several different human activities that cause physical loss in the seabed: dredging and dumping of dredged material, oil and gas rigs, offshore installations, ports, sand and gravel extraction and windfarms. The resulting dataset is a raster (10km grid cell) derived from EMODnet, MED-IAMER and 4C Offshore datasets and with temporal reference from 2012 to 2017. Higher values mean more loss causing activity in the area. Due to its resolution, loss causing activity in a cell does not usually mean that all the seabed habitat in the area is lost. This dataset has been prepared for the calculation of the combined effect index, produced for the ETC/ICM Report 4/2019 "Multiple pressures and their combined effects in Europe's seas" available on: https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-icm/etc-icm-report-4-2019-multiple-pressures-and-their-combined-effects-in-europes-seas-1.

This vector dataset represents the benthic broad habitat types in Europe seas potentially affected by anchoring. The anchoring of vessels can produce damages to the seafloor and the loss of the habitat where it happens. It takes place in shallow waters, close to ports, where vessels have to wait for a spot in the port so they can load or offload (since ports have a limited amount of dockage). The anchoring areas allow vessels to safely anchor in protection from bad weather or other circumstances. The type of alterations to the habitats resulting from anchoring depend mainly on the dimensions and type of the anchor, as well as its movement resulting from the movement of the vessel due to currents or waves, which can increase the adverse effects. The dataset has been prepared in the context of the development of the first European Maritime Transport Environmental Report (to be published as an EMSA-EEA report in 2021).

This vector dataset represents the benthic broad habitat types in Europe Seas potentially affected by the ship wakes. When navigating, the propellers of ships generate a turbulent mixing of the water that can produce sediment re-suspension in soft bottoms of shallow areas. This can increase the turbidity in those areas, affecting the seafloor organisms (especially those that are directly dependent on light, such as aquatic plants). It may also contribute to an increase of the the eutrophication level of the ecosystem (since the turbid waters may become warmer, which may turn into a reduction of dissolved oxygen in water). Finally, turbidity can produce an increase in the inputs of contaminants and microbial pathogens, since those can become attached to the suspended solids. The dataset has been prepared in the context of the development of the first European Maritime Transport Environmental Report (https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/maritime-transport).

This raster dataset represents physical disturbance to the seabed in the European seas. Several human activities disturb the seabed either directly or indirectly. Alteration of benthic living conditions as a result of increased sedimentation or attenuation of light penetration, abrasion of the seabed and exploitation of benthic biota, temporarily disturb the benthic habitat quality. The dataset is an aggregation of several different human activities that cause physical disturbance to the seabed: aquaculture, demersal fishing, dredging and dumping of dredged material, oil and gas rigs, offshore installations, ports, sand and gravel extraction, shellfish mariculture, shipping in shallow waters and windfarms. The resulting dataset is a raster (10km grid cell) derived from EMODnet, MED-IAMER, JRC-STECF, OSPAR, HELCOM and 4C Offshore datasets, and with reference temporal coverage from 2012 to 2017. This dataset has been prepared for the calculation of the combined effect index, produced for the ETC/ICM Report 4/2019 "Multiple pressures and their combined effects in Europe's seas" available on: https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-icm/etc-icm-report-4-2019-multiple-pressures-and-their-combined-effects-in-europes-seas-1.