Habitat destruction and fragmentation

Marine habitats along Europe's coasts have been changes and occasionally destroyed by coastal protection, land reclamation, aggregate (sand and gravel) extraction, recreation and developments including ports, harbours and industries. The growing number of tourists presents a significant threat to many marine coastal areas in Europe. In offshore waters, exploration and development of oil and gas activities threaten marine habitats, mainly with discharges of oil and other pollutants. Physical damage to marine habitats can result from activities such as fishing.

Deep-water trawlers use heavy rock-hopping equipment, which has been reported to cause long-term to seabed habitats such as cold-water coral reefs in Norwegian, Scottish and Irish waters. Loss of habitat represents a significant threat to many species (e.g. several salmon stocks have been driven to extinction due to habitat destruction) with subsequent unforeseen effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.