ABI-EN-MS-GDG: Good environmental status is the good functioning of marine ecosystems, their good health and the environmental sustainability of their use for human activities. The definition of good environmental status takes into account the existence of human activities at sea or on land that have an impact on the environment. As such, it is not a state that is not impacted by human activities, sometimes referred to as "pristine". In the definition of good ecological status, certain contextual elements must be taken into account. In addition to the existence of anthropogenic pressures, it is therefore necessary to consider their impacts on the environment, the long-term or short-term natural variability of ecosystems and their capacity for resilience, and global changes, particularly climate change. On the basis of the content elements of the Directive, France has chosen to define good environmental status as the long-term level of ambition for the environmental status of the marine environment, i.e. the acceptable level of impact of human activities on environmental status that does not affect the proper functioning of ecosystems. The methodology for defining good environmental status distinguishes between two bases: 1: the description of Good Environmental Status at the level of the descriptors and, where appropriate, at the level of the criteria. 2: the characterization of Good Environmental Status, which includes several elements: - the determination of "units of assessment" and relevant scales; - the definition of the method for identifying issue areas/characteristic zones; - the development of indicators to judge the achievement of GES of the marine environment, based on the previous choices; - the definition of levels/thresholds/trends associated with these indicators and their setting; - the development of an intra-descriptor aggregation method. It should be noted that the proper functioning of an ecosystem is a scientific concept, based on an ecosystem approach, which can be qualified or even quantified, in some cases today, in other cases in the future, subject to further studies, research and data acquisition. This definition will have to be revised every 6 years on the basis of new knowledge and data and will have to take into account the evolution of anthropogenic pressures and global changes. The effects of climate change are being felt on the marine environment and its functioning: they will be taken into account in the revision of the definition of Good Environmental Status as part of the context.

Good ecological status is achieved when the following conditions are cumulatively met : - The detection and acoustic communication capacities of large cetaceans are not altered by anthropogenic noise disturbance; - The frequentation of ecological functional zones by species sensitive to noise disturbance is preserved; - The direct or indirect accidental excess mortality due to anthropogenic noise disturbance is marginal.

The indicator for criterion 11.1 relevant for characterising good ecological status is defined as follows: Indicator 11.1.1 Proportion, distribution over a calendar year, in areas of a specified surface area, and spatial distribution of days with anthropogenic sound sources exceeding levels likely to have a significant impact on marine animals, measured as noise exposure levels (in dB re 1μPa2.s) or peak sound pressure levels (in dB re 1μPapeak) at one metre, over the frequency range 10 Hz to 10 kHz. The indicator is made up of the proportion, distribution over a calendar year and spatial distribution of days of noise emissions by pulse sources emitting in the frequency range 10 Hz to 10 kHz above the recognised thresholds of noise nuisance by species, as recorded on the basis of work declarations or activity reports. The indicator related to criterion 11.2 relevant for characterising good environmental status is defined as follows: Indicator 11.2.1 Trends in ambient sound levels in the 63 and 125 Hz (centre frequency) third octave bands (re 1μPa RMS; average sound level in these octave bands over one year), measured by observation stations and/or models, where appropriate. The indicator consists of trends in the annual average low-frequency noise level in two standardised frequency bands (so-called third octave bands 63 and 125 Hertz), expressed in dB, measured at observation stations and/or assessed by means of models, generated by the three types of activities listed in Annex 4 of the Order of 17 December 2012 on the definition of good environmental status of marine waters. For each of the two criteria, good environmental status at the level of the criterion corresponds to good environmental status at the level of the indicator associated with that criterion.

The levels and trends characterising good environmental status for the indicators associated with criteria 11.1 and 11.2 as well as the aggregation rules at descriptor level will be specified following further studies, as provided for in Article 4 of the Order of 17 December 2012 on the definition of good environmental status of marine waters. These elements will be developed with a view to updating the definition of good environmental status by 2018.