‘SeaStats’: hard figures on sea and coast

Looking for reliable figures on our seas and coasts? In need of that particular number to finish your introduction or presentation? ‘SeaStats’ offers interesting facts, each with a direct link to the source document and author(s). The primary criteria for selection are 1) reliability and quality of the source and 2) relevance of the figures. ‘SeaStats’ is a bilingual product that allows for a thematic search through 9 topics and 40 subtopics that are relevant marine, coastal and estuarine themes. ‘SeaStats’ wishes to a) facilitate the search for reliable anecdotic information on seas and coasts, with a focus on figures and numbers and 2) provide an additional exposure of marine and coastal research results to a wider public. Figures can be looked up through the 9 different symbols in the start-screen www.vliz.be/cijfers_beleid/zeecijfers (Dutch and English) or by filling in specific search terms. Take this example; you want to know the exact length of the Belgian coastline? Follow the symbol ‘Sea of space’ on the start-screen, click on ‘geography’, or use the search term ‘coastline’. The result of your search will inform you that there are 3 different and www.vliz.be/docs/Zeecijfers/seabordernl.pdf, where each alternative is explained. Source documents are by preference full texts of publications documented in IMIS, on relevant Belgian research or relating to the Belgian part of the North Sea, the Scheldt Estuary and the Belgian coastal zone

Indicators and information systems in support of integrated coastal zone management in Belgium, the southern North Sea and Europe

High-quality information and scientifically underpinned data is needed in support of decision taking and good governance in coastal zones. Good governance does not only pursue effective policies and efficient administration. It also aims at building capacity and commitment within society, by supporting a flow of objective and reliable information towards the stakeholders and the wider public, and in a format that is useful and relevant for its purpose. A set of sustainability indicators (SI) addressing the complexity of ecological, environmental and socio-economic issues involved in achieving an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) can provide an answer in a format that is useful for policymakers and is an effective communication tool towards a wider range of stakeholders. In a demonstration session, the sustainability indicators (SI) for coastal zones are presented and interactive tools to search, visualize and download data, are displayed. The SI form part of a wider information system for Belgium, as developed by the Coordination Centre for ICZM (www.kustbeheer.be); the SAIL partnership in the southern North Sea (www.vliz.be/projects/SAIL) and European DEDUCE project (INTERREG IIIC South - www.deduce.eu). The initiatives are developed within the framework of the objectives as set forward in the EU Recommendation concerning the implementation of ICZM

DIMAS Development of an integrated database for the management of accidental spills. Part 2. Global change, ecosystems and biodiversity - SPSDII: final report

DIMAS is a 2-year project executed by three Belgian partners (EURAS, VLIZ and Ghent University) and funded by the SPSD II research program of the Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO). Several shipping accidents in Belgian territorial waters, made the various government agencies involved aware of the need to develop tools to assess the risks and impact on marine resources in the case of an accidental release of hazardous substances. DIMAS aims at the protection of the North Sea and Western Scheldt in case of accidental spills from ships. In the present project, a relational database is developed, providing reliable, easy to interpret and up-to-date information on marine specific issues. The database contains the latest information on effects (acute and chronic), absorption, distribution, bioaccumulation/biomagnification, GESAMP hazard profiles and physico-chemical properties for a selection of priority substances and is publicly available (www.vliz.be/projects/dimas). The selection of the substances is based on criteria such as occurrence on priority lists, volumes transported over sea, frequency of involvement in accidental spills and frequency of transports over sea. The first beneficiaries of this database are the people directly involved in the first phase of a containment plan for an accidental spill. The final indirect beneficiaries are the general public (scientists, journalists, general public, etc.) who will be better informed about the potential impact to man and the environment