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HELCOM Monitoring Manual Introduction Contents 1. Background to the development of the HELCOM monitoring and assessment system 1 2. Structure of the HELCOM monitoring system 1 The HELCOM monitoring manual 1 Updating of the Manual 3 3. Aims of HELCOM monitoring 3 Components 3 Spatial coverage 5 Transboundary impacts and features 5 4. Contracting Parties’ commitments 6 Indicators and assessment 6 Coordinated monitoring 6 Data and reporting 7 5. HELCOM working structure in support of regionally coordinated monitoring 9 6. Baltic Sea Action Plan and the MSFD 10 BSAP Vision and Goals 10 MSFD GES and Descriptors 11 Relationship between the BSAP Goals and the MSFD Descriptors 12 Regional definition of GES and environmental targets 13 7. HELCOM Monitoring programmes 14 Biodiversity - Birds 14 Biodiversity - Fish 14 Biodiversity - Mammals 15 Biodiversity - Water column habitats 15 Biodiversity - Seabed habitats 16 Non-indigenous species 16 Eutrophication 16 Hydrographic changes 17 Contaminants 17 Contaminants in seafood 18 Litter 18 Noise 18 Annexes 19 Annex 1 - Glossary of terms (interim) 19 Annex 2 Links between EU sub-programmes and HELCOM sub-programmes 23 Acknowledgments 25 Background to the development of the HELCOM monitoring and assessment system Monitoring is a well-established function of the Helsinki Convention. Coordinated monitoring of physical, chemical and biological variables of the open sea of the Baltic Sea has been carried out since 1979. HELCOM monitoring is closely linked to environmental assessments and periodical assessment reports have been published since the 1980s. Since the 2000s the occasional production of reports evolved to regular publications of Baltic Sea thematic and holistic assessments. This development was supported by the first version of the HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment Strategy in 2005. The Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), adopted in 2007, further emphasizes the need to monitor and assess the change in the marine environment a