Dec 16, 2015
1967 Torrey Canyon
• Massive spill with massive consequences
• 62,000 lbs of bombs, 5,200 gallons of petrol, 11 rockets and large quantities of napalm dropped on the ship
• Mission called off when high spring tides put out the fire!
• Dispersant and actions made the spill far worse
NERC working party
• In 1971 NERC established a working party on Marine Wildlife Conservation
• Recommended further basic research and regular reviews to advise on the urgency of conserving threatened marine environments
1979 NCC & NERC Review
Recommended:• NCC become more involved in
marine wildlife conservation• NCC should collaborate with NERC
and other organisations already well established in marine scientific research
1979 Review
• In the interests of economy of effort, greater co-ordination should be encouraged between conservation-orientated and pollution-orientated research in the marine environment.
1981 W&C Act
• After much lobbying, included provision for designating Marine Nature Reserves
• Lundy was designated in 1986. Nearly twenty years later it remains England’s only designated MNR
Europe
Meanwhile, environmental improvements were being driven by Europe:
• 1976 bathing waters directive aimed to protect the public from faecal pollution at bathing waters.
The Habitats Directive
• Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora
• “Done at Brussels 21 May 1992”
Habitats Directive
• Maintain biodiversity by establishing a coherent European ecological network
• …an appropriate assessment must be made of any plan or programme likely to have a significant effect on the conservation objectives of a site which has been designated or is designated in future
Habitats Directive
• …a system should be set up for surveillance of the conservation status of the natural habitats and species covered by this Directive
So what Habitats?
Annex 1 lists a range – for marine it includes:
• Estuaries• Large shallow inlets & bays• Sandbanks which are slightly covered by
seawater all the time• Mudflats and sandflats not covered by
seawater at low tide• Lagoons• Reefs
Regulation 33As soon as possible after a site
becomes a European marine site, the appropriate nature conservation body shall advise other relevant authorities as to –
• The conservation objectives for that site
• Any operations which may cause deterioration of natural habitats….or disturbance of species for which the site has been designated
Features & subfeatures
• For clarity, English Nature has split Features into subfeatures – so:
• Fal & Helford subtidal sandbanks have been split to:
• Eelgrass communities• Maerl bed communities• Gravel & sand communities• Mixed sediment communities
Favourable condition table
Attribute Measure TargetExtent Area No decrease
Distribution of communities
Dist’n of communities
No significant deviation from baseline
Species composition
Presence & abundance of species
No significant deviation from baseline
Nutrient status Extent of green algal growth
No increase from baseline
Water Framework Directive
• Substantial & comprehensive piece of water legislation
• Requires inland & coastal waters to reach at least “good ecological status” by 2015
The holy grail?
• Both Habitats and Water Framework Directives require maintenance of ecological quality
• As yet we still have a limited understanding of the effect of water quality on ecology.
Uncertainty
• With uncertainty of effects of water quality, we have to be precautionary
• Better science may allow us to target improvements more efficiently
• Better science may allow us to be predictive in identifying problems
Meanwhile….
• Halt the decline in biodiversity by 2010 • No anthropogenic eutrophication by
2010• A network of representative marine
protected areas by 2012• Restore fish stocks to maximum
sustainable yields by 2015 ‘where possible’
Marine Stewardship Report
Best available scienceBetter integration of
monitoring & observation
Improved co-ordination and access to data
Marine Information Council
• Seeks improved co-ordination between industry and the Government
• Brings together government, institutional, academic and industry bodies
• The primary task is to seek improved funding for marine research and to foster the application of this research to customer needs
Where next?
• Better ways of monitoring• Improved understanding of water
quality effects on ecology• Better links between science and
management
If not?
• Loss of opportunities• Potential expensive declines in
environmental quality• Increased precaution in
management• Potential expensive constraints on
industry