Workshop on the World Ocean Assessment

as consistent with the grading statement “The current and predicted environmental impacts of this factor are widespread, irreversibly affecting the values of the re- gion, and there is serious environment degradation, or this is likely across the region within 10 years” . f) Trends in Pressures The experts considered that the impacts from the pressures were either increasing or stable in all pa- rameters in all three categories across the region. There were no pressures considered to be reducing to the extent that would result in an improvement in environmental conditions (Figure 9).

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e) Pressures The combined impacts of the eight pressures scored in this exercise were assessed as resulting in Poor condi- tion in Most places — the notional 80% of the area of the biodiversity and ecosystems of the SCS that were considered (Figure 8). Where the pressures have the least impact (the Best 10% of places), the impact is considered by the experts as consistent with the grad- ing statement “few or negligible current impacts from this factor, and future impacts on the environmental values of the region are likely to be negligible” (this is the guidance provided in the Grading Statement for Very Good). Conversely, where the pressures scored here have the greatest impacts (Very Poor, in the Worst10%), the effects are considered by the experts Figure 7. Confidence (High, Medium or Low) assigned by the experts to their assessments of trends in the condition of ecosystem health parameters shown in Figure 6.

Figure 9. The estimated current (2007–2012) trend in impacts from pressure parameters across the SCS region, in each of the Best10%, Most and Worst10% places/occurrence.

The trends in pressures were assigned with either High or Medium confidence (Figure 10).

Figure 10. Confidence (High, Medium or Low) assigned by the experts to their assessments of trends in the con- dition of pressure parameters shown in Figure 9.

Figure 8. The impacts of human-induced pressures on the biodiversity and ecosystems of the SCS, scored as the condition in the biophysical environment as a result of the current and likely future effects of the pressures. The uncertainty bar (derived across all the scored pressure pa- rameters) represents an average level of confidence of 1.8 of a scoring unit.