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.

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.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 1, criterion 3. Occurrence of breeding seabirds describes the observation of eight seabird species (Common tern, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Small Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged gull, Big Stern and Little Stern) on the Belgian coast between 1992 and 2015.

This dataset represents the location of the windfarms concessions in the Belgian Part of the North Sea.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 1, criterion 1. Stranded porpoises often show traces of incidental catch in fishing nets (bycatch), a major cause of death for this cetacean in the North Sea. Based on the number of stranded animals showing traces of bycatch, it can be estimated that up to a few dozen porpoises are caught per year. For extrapolation of bycatch data to effects at population level, reference is made to (future) initiatives at regional level.

This dataset describes the extents and location of Sandbanks (code 1110) in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS) as required for article 17 of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. The Council Directive seeks to contribute to ensuring biodiversity in the European Union by the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora species.

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 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines 5 nature conservation areas: Special area for conservation 'The Flemish Banks' (Art. 7§1), Special area for conservation 'Vlakte van de Raan' (Art. 7§3), Special protection area for birds - SPA 1 (Art. 7§5.1°), Special protection area for birds - SPA 2 (Art. 7§5.2°), Special protection area for birds - SPA 3 (Art. 7§5.3°). 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. 7., six nature conservation sites: two special areas for conservation (Art. 7. §1, Special area for conservation 'Vlaamse Banken' and Art. 7. §3, Special area for conservation 'Trapegeer stroombank'), three special protection zones for birds (Art7§4.1°, SBZ1, Art7§4.2°, SBZ2, Art7§4.3°, SBZ3), and one marine reserve (Art7§8, Marine reserve 'Baai van Heist'). 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.

This datasets is a summary of the CTD profiles measured with the RV Belgica. It provides general meta-information such as the campaign code, the date of measurement and the geographical information. An important information is the profile quality flag that describes the validity of the data. A quality flag = 2 means the data is generally good although some outliers can still be present. A quality flag = 4 means the data should not be trusted. 1 meter binned data can be download on the SeaDataNet CDI portal (enter the cruise_id in the search bar) ONLY for the good quality profiles. Full acquisition frequency datasets are available on request to BMDC.