House of Commons - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence

Memorandum submitted by the Natural Environment Research Council

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) welcomes the opportunity to provide input to this inquiry.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is one of the UK's seven Research Councils. It funds and carries out impartial scientific research in the sciences of the environment. NERC trains the next generation of independent environmental scientists. Its priority research areas are: Earth's life-support systems, climate change, and sustainable economies.

NERC's research centres are: the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the British Geological Survey (BGS), the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL). A list of NERC's collaborative centres is appended.

NERC's comments draw on inputs from the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a political necessity as the UK has signed European conventions committing the UK to them. If the UK is to conserve marine biodiversity, they are vital and should be initiated as soon as possible. However, there are ongoing debates about the optimal size for any single MPA and how best to distribute them around the UK if they are to have the maximum effect on species conservation.

Marine Environment High Risk Areas (MEHRA) are required to protect environmentally sensitive areas of sea which are at a high risk from shipping. It is likely that Marine Environment High Risk Areas (MEHRA) will be incorporated into ecosystem management legislation by 2010. Effects of the delay will be apparent if a major tanker accident occurs in such areas.

An effective strategy for the conservation and sustainable development of the marine environment would be an integrated ecosystem based approach to management. However, a limitation to implementation of policy in this area is the slow take-up of the necessary scientific tools required to operate such a management approach.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Defra's strategy for the conservation and sustainable development of the marine environment is set out in its document "Safeguarding Our Seas (2002)". This is an excellent document which draws together marine issues in a coherent way and sets out some key principles that will underpin policy. The emphasis is on an integrated, ecosystems based approach to management.

The ecosystem based approach to management in particular poses major challenges and will require development of radically new tools to enable it to happen. Advanced coastal ocean model systems are a unique tool in the armoury uniquely capable of:

— synthesising information spatially;

— providing information about system variability on a range of time scales;

— incorporating robust process knowledge based on the best available science;

— providing predictive capability;

— providing capability for scenario testing;

— providing capability for and risk analysis based on ensemble simulations and the quantification of uncertainties; and

— providing a systematic common information base with which to encourage stakeholder involvement.

A key limitation to implementation of policy in this area is slow uptake of the necessary scientific tools to effectively operate such a management approach. State of the art coupled ecosystem/coastal hydrodynamic models such as the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory Coastal Ocean Modelling System (POLCOMS), (coupled to intelligent real time observing systems) will be a key tool in providing the necessary contextual information within which to conduct ecosystem-based management.

Whilst these tools have already developed to an advanced state there are important institutional barriers (eg in the field of data exchange policy) that mean these tools (and more significantly their products) are at risk of not being taken up effectively by relevant marine regulators.

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

Issue 1: The likely impact of designating Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas linked with the Habitats and Birds Directives; and the delay in doing so

The Convention on Biological Diversity led to the Habitats Directive of EU and N2K/SAC network. The aim of the convention is to halt biodiversity decline by 2010. OSPAR signatories including UK have agreed to "the establishment of a network of marine protected areas to ensure the sustainable use, conservation and protection of marine biological diversity and its ecosystems". They have agreed that by 2006 they will have guidelines to set up such areas and that by 2010 such a network will be in place.

Marine Protected Areas are needed to:

protect enhance and restore marine biodiversity;

as a step towards sustainable fisheries;

facilitate coastal zone management and planning;

safeguard ecosystem goods and services; and

as flagships for maintaining public interest in marine ecosystems.

Ongoing debates about the optimal size and distribution of MPAs have delayed implementation. Such delays will see the UK falling behind Europe. Ecosystem management is not simply a national issue; a broader-scale network of conservation sites is needed if we are to conserve biodiversity.

As UK populations continue to grow (24 million households by 2021) pressure on the coast will mount and the necessity to integrate coastal management becomes more vital if conservation targets are to be met. It is important to conservation that a substantial area of the coastline made up of large protected areas. The more we delay the implementation of ICZM the more difficult it will be sort out the problems of managing our coastal waters in the longer term.

In the case of offshore MPAs the most significant impacts come from the fishing industry. Managing the future of fishing and establishing MPAs will be most efficiently done if both take place simultaneously.

MPAs are part of a move towards concerted ecosystem-scale management of UK coastal waters. UK coastal waters are regulated by a broad diversity of laws that are enforced by a diversity of government departments. Moves are underway to "join up government" and undertake more holistic management of the sea. A network of protected sites is central to any attempt at integrated coastal zone management.

It is noted that an important opportunity appears to have been missed in not extinguishing fishing rights within proposed wind-farm arrays (DTI response "Future Offshore" consultation).

Issue 2: The likely impact of introducing Strategic Environmental Assessments

Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) provide strategic regional scale overviews of constrains operating within a particular area. They provide a valuable "holistic" context for more localized Environmental Impact Assessments (which they are not a substitute for). SEAs are consistent with an integrated management approach. As stated in paragraphs 6-9, much greater use of regional scale models is required in conducting SEAs in order to provide information about the time dependence, variability and uncertainties in the marine environment (to complement what otherwise will tend to be a frozen static, picture of a particular region).

Issue 3: The delay in identifying Marine Environment High Risk Areas

Marine Environment High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) are areas of sea where environmental sensitivity coincides with high risk from shipping. A DEFRA report (Dec 1999) indicated the following candidate areas.

— West Coast of Isle of Lewis

— West Wales

— North Shetlands

— South East coast of Scotland

— Coast of North East England

A number of other sites, mostly off North West Scotland but including the Wash have subsequently been identified. In such areas specific actions should be taken to minimise pollution caused by maritime accidents.

The way in which potential MEHRAs have been identified is complex but marine biodiversity issues appear to have been weighted towards charismatic species and the extent to which they might be impacted by oil. Lord Donaldson identified the need for MEHRAs following the Braer oil spill, but as yet, no subsequent action has been taken. In some locations, shipping firms have adhered to a voluntary agreement with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) not to pass through sensitive areas but this has no legal backing.

MEHRAs will probably be incorporated into ecosystem management plans by 2010. The establishment of MEHRAs would be a further indication that the Government has a commitment to supporting the management and conservation of the marine environment. Effects of waiting will be limited to the possibility of a major accident occurring during the delay, caused by a tanker transiting through a seabird or seal colony.

Natural Environment Research Council

12 September 2003

Annex

NERC RESEARCH CENTRES AND COLLABORATIVE CENTRES

NERC Research Centres

British Antarctic Survey (BAS)

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH)

Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL)

NERC Collaborative Centres

Centre of observation of Air-Sea Interactions and Fluxes (CASIX)

Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes and Tectonics (COMET)