Beach Litter count data collected across 10 beaches of the Belgian coast in 2023 and 2024 by volunteers of the citizen science association Proper Strand Lopers. One of the key indicators of abundance, composition and trends of litter in the marine environment is the amount on beaches. OSPAR monitors litter on 100m stretches at over 70 beaches in the North-East Atlantic following common monitoring guidelines. The monitoring records litter in 112 predefined litter items in 11 types: Plastic / polystyrene, Metal, Paper and cardboard, Wood, Sanitary waste, Cloth, Rubber, Glass, Pottery/ceramics, Medical waste and Faeces.

The law of 13 June 1969 defines “Belgian Continental Shelf” as follows: the seabed and the subsoil of the marine areas adjacent to the Belgian coast but beyond the Belgian territorial sea.

UNDER EMBARGO - This dataset contains marine organic matter source samples, artificial mixtures of known composition, and compound-specific nitrogen stable isotope data of amino acids (δ¹⁵N-AA). Source materials include phytoplankton, zooplankton, and faecal pellets from the marine fouling species Mytilus edulis and Metridium senile.Samples were collected and processed in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Artificial mixtures were prepared by combining source materials in defined proportions to generate experimental samples representing multiple marine organic matter source combinations. Metadata describing sample collection, preparation, and mixture composition are included.Compound-specific nitrogen isotope ratios of individual amino acids were measured using stable isotope analysis. The dataset includes isotopic measurements for all source samples and artificial mixtures, along with associated metadata required to document sampling, laboratory preparation, and analytical procedures.

This dataset represents the location of the Princess Elizabeth zone in the Belgian Part of the North Sea as described in the Royal Decree of May 22th, 2019, establishing a marine spatial plan for the period 2020-2026. Art. 8. § 3.

This dataset represents main data about the cores of Belgian boreholes that are stored by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Data is distributed as shapefile with multiple meta-infomations such as unique borehole reference, depth, location, lithology and a link to access the core and lithological descriptions.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing a marine spatial plan defines Seabed Integrity Zone_Top Art. 10. § 1.1°, Seabed Integrity Zone_Middle Art. 10. § 1.2°, Seabed Integrity Zone_Bottom Art. 10. § 1.3°, RAMSAR Art. 11, Zone with Ban on Bottom-Disturbing Recreational Fishing Art. 24. § 2, Flemish Banks Art. 8. § 1, Raan Flat Art. 8. § 3, SBZ1 Art. 8. § 5.1°, SBZ2 Art. 8. § 5.2°, SBZ3 Art. 8. § 5.3°, Marine Reserve_Top Art. 9. § 1.1°, Marine Reserve_Middle 2a Art. 9. § 1.2°, Marine Reserve_Middle 2b Art. 9. § 2, Marine Reserve_Bottom Art. 9. § 3 Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing a marine spatial plan defines Dredging_S1 Art. 15. § 1.1°, Dredging_S2 Art. 15. § 1.2°, Dredging_Bridges and Roads Ostend Art. 15. § 1.3°, Dredging_Bridges and Roads Zeebrugge East Art. 15. § 1.4°, Dredging_Bridges and Roads Zeebrugge West Art. 15. § 1.5°, Dredging_Bridges and Roads Nieuwpoort Art. 15. § 1.6°, Dredging_Erosion Pit Zeebrugge Art. 15. § 1.7°, Dredging_Future Replacement S1 Art. 15. § 4.1°, Dredging_Second Future Replacement S1 Art. 15. § 4.2°, Dredging_Second Possible Replacement Zeebrugge East and Zeebrugge West Art. 15. § 6, Dredging_Possible Replacement Zeebrugge East and Zeebrugge West Art. 15. § 6, Dredging_Third Possible Replacement Zeebrugge East and Zeebrugge West Art. 15. § 6, Dredging_Future Replacement Bridges and Roads Nieuwpoort Art. 15. § 8 Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing a marine spatial plan defines CIA Zone Art. 27. § 1 Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines in its Art. 11. five dredged material disposal sites (Dredged material disposal site S1, Art. 11 § 1.1°; Dredged material disposal site S2, Art. 11 § 1.2°; Dredged material disposal site Bruggen en Wegen Oostende, Art. 11 § 1.3°; Dredged material disposal site Bruggen en Wegen Zeebrugge Oost, Art. 11 § 1.4°; Dredged material disposal site Bruggen en Wegen Nieuwpoort, Art. 11 § 1.5°). Futhermore, additional zones are defined for the future replacement of dredging areas as defined in Art. 11 §3, §5, §7 and §9. It replaces the 2014 Marine Spatial Plan, which is included for completeness. The Royal Decree of 20 March 2014 establishing a marine spatial plan defines in its Art. 9. five dredged material disposal sites (Dredged material disposal site S1, Art. 9 § 6.1°; Dredged material disposal site S2, Art. 9 § 6.2°; Dredged material disposal site Bruggen en Wegen Oostende, Art. 9 § 6.3°; Dredged material disposal site Bruggen en Wegen Zeebrugge Oost, Art. 9 § 6.4°; Dredged material disposal site Bruggen en Wegen Nieuwpoort, Art. 9 § 6.5°). These zones are made available digitally in the resource described by this metadata document. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette (\"Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad\") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing a marine spatial plan defines Protected Shipwrecks Art. 26. § 1 Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.