Background & Objectives

The Baltic Sea subpopulation of harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is small and has been drastically reduced during the last decades. The species is listed in Annexes 2 and 4 of the EC Habitats Directive as well as in the national red lists of several EU Member States. This, in combination with a complex of threats and problems which are still partly poorly understood, especially with reference to potential cumulative impacts, necessitates the need of improved methodologies for collecting data on population size and range, and its fluctuation over time. The overall objective of the project is to launch a best practice methodology for this purpose and to provide data for a reliable assessment of distribution and habitats of the species. This should make possible an appropriate designation of SCIs for the species within the Natura 2000 network as well as other relevant mitigation measures.

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