Criteria

1.1.1 Vulnerability

• Traits-based Adaptivity
• Sensitivity
• Resilience/Recovery
• Resistance
• Species Vulnerability to Climatic and Anthropogenic stressors

1.1.2 Stability

• Ecosystem Integrity
• General Adaptivity
• Stability
• Redundancy

1.1.3 Functional hotspots

• Food web structure
• Presence of key functional species
• Key functional areas
• Functionally representative areas
• Functional hotspots

1.1.4. Life cycle critical areas

• Developmental and feeding/foraging habitats/areas
• Life cycle critical areas
• Refuge areas
• Steppingstone areas
• Ecological corridors/migration routes
• Recruitment areas
• Nursery and breeding grounds
• Larval sources and spawning aggregation areas

1.1.5 Climate-smart potential

• Concentrative Potential of Species of interest
• Potential for mitigation
• Climate-smart potential
• Potential for Adaptation
• Connectivity Potential
• Climatic stability

5.1 Socio–economic criteria

• Area important because it allows access to relevant areas for the marine users.
• Area important for locally-caught seafood
• Area important for the generation of employment and income linked to non traditional activities
• Area important for fishery activity
• Area important for dredging
• Area important because of the presence of structure with significant historical and cultural. (mo
• Area of high scientific interest
• Area important for educational interest
• Area important because of the occurrence of iconic species/habitats for the local community
• Area important for thehealth of coastal residents and/or resource users (mental health, physical hea
• Area important due to the socio-cultural dependence of the coastal community with its environ
• Area important to be managed due to the presence ofspatial conflicts among users
• Area important because of the presence of cultural symbolic value
• Area important for recreation and leisure
• Area important because of the presence of cultural and tradition activities that support local fo
• Area important for traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of
• Area with high scenic and/or aesthetic value
• Area important for shipping
• Area is important for the development of blue economy activities
• Area with current/potential importance to explore and demonstrate approaches and management solution

5.2 Governance criteria

• Equity
• Clear strategic plan for the development of sustainable blue economy
• Cross-border cooperation
• Decision making is based on best information and knowledge available
• Strategic Environmental Assessment
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Instruments to ensure and guide development and implementation of marine policies
• Sustainable fishing management
• Climate change measures established
• Ecosystem based management approach
• Long term strategic adaptive management
• Coherence management of the area
• Stakeholder participation