TY - CONF
TI - Retiring environmental risks of marine renewable energy  devices: the “habitat  change” case
AU - Hemery, L
AU - Rose, D
AU - Freeman, M
AU - Copping, A
T2 - 14th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC 2021)
AB - The  installation,  presence,  operation,  and decommissioning  of  marine  renewable  energy  (MRE) devices  inevitably  alters  the  surrounding  ocean  habitats. These  changes  may  include  direct  effects  on  the  benthos from the installation or removal of foundations and anchors, changes  in  community  composition  on  and  near  devices, artificial  reef  effects,  and  indirect  effects  such  as  alteration of  the  food  web  or  facilitation  of  non-native,  invasive species  dispersal.  Although  there  is  no  expectation  that MRE  devices  affect  marine  environments  differently  than other  anthropogenic  ocean  uses,  regulators  and stakeholders  continue  to  have  questions  about  potential negative  impacts  to  species  and  habitats  from  development. The  objective  here  was  to  lay  a  path  to  advance  toward  risk retirement  for  potential  habitat  changes  caused  by  MRE devices.  Research studies  and survey reports that inform our understanding  of  habitat  changes  were  compiled  into  an evidence  base,  sorted  into  categories  of  effects,  and evaluated  by  a  group  of  international  experts  to  assess potential  risk  to  habitats  and  biota  from  small  numbers  of MRE devices,  as  well  as  to  identify  knowledge  gaps.  These gaps  were  organized  by  category  and  divided  up  by relevance  to  consenting,  research,  or  project  development and  monitoring  responsibilities.  Identifying  these  “known unknowns”  allows  for  study  design  and  collaboration  from various  perspectives  to  fill  the  knowledge  gaps. Distribution  of  the  evidence  base  and  remaining uncertainties  and  knowledge  gaps  to  the  MRE  community, coupled  with  new  research,  will  help  advance  the  MRE industry  while  resolving  concerns  about  the  potential  risks of  habitat  change  for  small  numbers  of  devices. 
DA - 2021/09//
PY - 2021
PB - 14th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference
LA - English
KW - Marine Energy
KW - Habitat Change
KW - Human Dimensions
KW - Environmental Impact Assessment
KW - Stakeholder Engagement
ER -