Celtic Seas Partnership- Caroline Salthouse

Caroline SalthouseCeltic Seas Partnership Stakeholder

Engagement Officer, NW England

North West Coastal Forum

www.celticseaspartnership.eu

Twitter/celticseas

Introducing the Celtic Seas Partnership

Celtic Seas Partnership Project

• EC LIFE+ funded project, with a budget of €4 million

• Four year project: January 2013 to December 2016

• Project partnership led by WWF-UK

• Other project partners:

• University of Liverpool

• Dublin Regional Authority

• Natural Environment Research Council (British Oceanographic Data Centre)

• SeaWeb (France)

• Follows on from successful PISCES project

Overall Aim:

To demonstrate successful approaches and best practice through

multi-stakeholder collaboration to guide practical implementation of

the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and

contribute to Good Environmental Status

of the Celtic Seas Marine Region.

Responding to ever busier seas…

• Growing number of activities and uses

• Complex management challenges

• Multiple marine stakeholders & forums

• Multiple marine laws and policies, at national and international level

...& evolving marine policies

SUSTAIN meeting, Riga, Latvia 26th October 2011

Landuse

Tourism

Oil &Gas

Coastal Defence Ports & Navigation

Military Activities

Culture Conservation Dredging & Disposal

Submarine Cables

Fishing Renewable

Energy

Marine Recreation

Mineral Extraction

Mariculture

Source: 2004 Defra study on MSPP carried out by ABP Marine Environmental Research (ABPmer), Terence O’Rourke, Risk & Policy Analysts, Geotek, Hartley Anderson and Coastal Management for Sustainability

A plethora of plans and legislation…

EMS management plans Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Water Framework Directive

Marine Plans

Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and Marine Policy Statement

Birds and Habitats Directives

Shellfish Directive

Coast Protection Act 1949

Flood and Water Management Act 2010

Bathing Water Directive

Shoreline Management Plans

Local ICZM Strategies

National ICZM Strategies

National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy

Key trans-boundary issues

• Lack of existing mechanisms for cross-boundary discussions / information exchange for people directly involved in coastal and marine activity

• Lack of opportunity for stakeholders to talk to each other, governments and scientists

• Lack of opportunity for stakeholders to share data and information

Marine Strategy Framework Directive

• Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive)

• Provides the environmental pillar of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy

• Complements and fills gaps from the Water Framework and other Directives (e.g. Habitats and Birds)

• UK law: Statutory Instrument (The Marine Strategy Regulations 2010)

MSFD Aim and Delivery

• Overall aim to deliver sustainable use of the seas by delivering Good Environmental Status in all EU waters by 2020 (to protect resources economic and social marine activity depend on)

• Requires application of the ecosystem approach to management of human activities

• Sets out European Marine Regions based on environmental and geographic criteria: the North East Atlantic Ocean has 2 sub-regions:

• Greater North Sea

• Celtic Seas

• Will operate via Member State Marine Strategies

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Celtic Seas Marine Region

• The Celtic Seas Marine Region is one of the 10 MSFD sub-regions

• Includes the western seaboard of UK and Republic of Ireland, north of Scotland and northern France – and the whole of the Irish Sea

• Diverse range of marine habitats and species, wide range of maritime industries and other uses/users

Ecosystem Approach

An “ecosystem-based approach” means the collective pressure ofhuman activities

• is kept within levels compatible with the achievement of good environmental status

• does not compromise the capacity of marine ecosystems to respond to human-induced changes.

Good Environmental Status (GES)

• Use of the marine environment must be kept at a sustainable level that safeguards potential uses and activities by current and future generations

• The structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems have to be fully considered, marine species and habitats must be protected and human-induced decline of biodiversity prevented

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• The overall state of the environment in marine waters provides ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are healthy and productive

How GES is defined - 1

GES is based on 11 qualitative ‘descriptors’ of the marine environment laid out in the MSFD:

1. Biological diversity is maintained

2. Non-indigenous species don’t impact adversely

3. Fish stocks within safe biological limits – healthy age/size distribution

4. Marine Food Web at normal abundance / diversity

5. Human-induced eutrophication (and its effects) are minimised

How GES is defined - 2

8. Contaminants are not at levels that cause pollution effects

9. Contaminants in fish / other edibles do not exceed levels set by EC or other standards

10. Properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment

11. Introduction of energy, e.g. underwater noise, is at levels that do not adversely affect the marine environment

6. Sea floor integrity ensures ecosystems are safeguarded

7. Permanent alteration of hydrographic conditions does not adversely affect ecosystems

MSFD - GES

What we aim to do

Support the goal of ‘Good Environmental Status’ by 2020 by bringing governments & marine stakeholders together to develop:

• Voluntary measures to achieve GES (e.g. noise, litter)

• Solutions for tackling trans-boundary challenges

• Solutions for co-location and managing marine conflicts

• Solutions for joint ICZM / MSFD implementation – good practice case studies and guidelines

• A guide to integrating/harmonising engagement mechanisms and marine data

• Proposals for a Celtic Seas Region-level Celtic Seas Partnership that can be used as a model for other European marine regions

External advice to the project

Observer Board

• MSFD Government leads in each country (France, Republic of Ireland, UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man)

• European Commission: DG Environment

• OSPAR Commission

Expert Advisory Group - experts with knowledge of:

• EU policy: MSFD, Marine Planning, Integrated Coastal Management

• Ecosystem-based management

• Stakeholder engagement

• Trans-boundary governance

• Data & information management

Recent and forthcoming activities

• Jul-Dec 2013 – building stakeholder engagement (meetings, etc.)

• Oct 2013 - Launch event, Liverpool (1st of 3 annual events)

c.70 delegates developed over 80 ideas for MSFD measures - 19 draft measures worked up in more detail

33 case studies identified illustrating co-location and trans-boundary challenges & possible solutions

Survey issued after the event giving others a chance to comment on & add to list of possible measures

• Jan 2014 – 1st Scientific Workshop, Liverpool

• 18th June 2014 - 1st England Country Workshop, Plymouth

Timeline: CSP & MSFD

2013 2014 2015 2016

Monitoring Programme

Develop Programmes of Measures

ImplementProgrammes of Measures

Third multi-nationalworkshop

Second multi-national workshop

First multi-national workshop

Country workshops

Country workshops

How can you get involved?

The views, knowledge and experience of stakeholders will shape the project and its outcomes as we move forward. Help us to achieve the project aims by:

• Getting involved in workshops and consultations as the project progresses (contact Caroline to be kept informed)

• Signing up for the e-newsletter at www.celticseaspartnerhip.eu

• Checking the website news blog and following us on twitter@celticseas

• And last but not least thinking about what you do that impactson the marine environment andhow you might do it differently!

Contact

Caroline Salthouse

Stakeholder Engagement Officer, NW England

Celtic Seas Partnership

0151 934 2966

[email protected]

www.celticseaspartnership.eu

Twitter/celticseas

Celtic Seas Partnership is an EC LIFE+ project delivered with the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Community. Project number: LIFE011 ENV/UK/000392

Questions?