Creating the base for MSP; depicting the environmental status of Inner Ionian-Korinthiakos Gulf

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) reflects the need to plan and regulate all human uses taking place in the marine environment, under the scope of protecting marine ecosystems. MSP requires the identification of the specific ecological characteristics of the marine area to be managed, as well as the human uses taking place and the main pressures and impacts induced. The present work focused on Inner Ionian-Korinthiakos Gulf, situated in Western Greece, defining the status of the coastal and marine environment of the area in the framework of MSP. Existing information was collected, gathered in a geodatabase and mapped; biological and ecological distributions, areas of importance for particular species, communities or habitats; oceanographic and other physical environmental features (bathymetry, currents, sediments, seismicity), spatial and temporal information regarding human activities and pressures caused. The data collected was related to MSFD characteristics and pressures, based on Directive 2017/845, Annex III. The outputs included maps depicting the interrelation of the physicogeographical features with important biological and ecological characteristics as well as the current pressures in the Inner Ionian-Korinthiakos Gulf marine area.