Navigating the Marine Strategy Framework Directive D11: Updates on Threshold Values and Future Perspectives

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), enacted by the European Union in 2008, seeks to achieve a Good Environmental Status for European seas through 11 qualitative descriptors. This paper specifically examines Descriptor 11 (D11), which focuses on the impact of anthropogenic noise on marine ecosystems. Despite significant advancements and extensive work done by expert groups and researchers to establish methodologies for assessing this issue, critical gaps remain, such as the effects of anthropogenic noise on many marine species, including cetaceans. As the second MSFD cycle concludes, this paper emphasizes the need for further research on other forms of energy, such as electromagnetic fields, and advocates for standardized approaches, including a unified Level of Onset of Adverse Biological Effects (LOBE) for species and habitat.