title: Visions for the North Sea: the societal dilemma behind specifying good environmental status.
abstract: We augment discussions about the Good Environmental Status of the North Sea by developing two extreme visions and assessing their societal benefits. One vision ('Then') assumes restoration of benthic functioning; we contend that trawling had already degraded the southern North Sea a century ago. Available information is used to speculate about benthic functioning in a relatively undisturbed southern North Sea. The second vision ('Now') draws on recent benthic functioning. The supply of five ecosystem services, supported by benthic functioning, is discussed. 'Then' offers confidence in the sustainable supply of diverse services but restoration of past function is uncertain and likely to be paired with costs, notably trawling restraints. 'Now' delivers known and valued services but sustained delivery is threatened by, for example, climate change. We do not advocate either vision. Our purpose is to stimulate debate about what society wants, and might receive, from the future southern North Sea.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, alison.gilbert@vu.nl.
authors.forename: Alison J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McQuatters-Gollop
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Langmead
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mee
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vermaat
mesh_terms: D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D004463:Ecology / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005398:Fisheries; D009659:North Sea