Data and information
46. Many of the concerns that industry and other
sea-users have about marine spatial planning and about the possible
size, number and restrictive nature of future MPAs surround the
quality of data and general information used to inform relevant
decisions in these areas. Mr Michael Hay, Marine Renewables Development
Manager for the British Wind Energy Association, observed in evidence
to us that "there is this huge knowledge gap….regarding
UK waters. There are huge gaps in the data we would like to have."
Currently in order to comply with procedures for licences or
consents for offshore wind farms, for example, there is a need
for a great deal of data-collection about the marine environment.
As Mr Hay went on to point out, his industry "is putting
more money into gathering this information than any other body
or any other industry".[75]
47. Consequently, in the context of more stringent
and integrated spatial planning at sea, the burden of data collection
could be very significant indeed unless some body, other than
whoever is applying for the consent or license, is responsible
for the collection of information and data pertaining to the
marine environment in question. Mr Hay suggests that any new
MMO would have to have sufficient financial support: that the
funding for such a body would need to be assured so that it could
further integrate planning without placing too much burden on
users and having to rely upon the 'accident' of a particular consent
or licence to gain a better understanding of the marine environment
in that particular area. This was reinforced by Dr Banham who
said that "it is absolutely crucial that the MMO have adequate
resources in order to be able to do proper marine spatial planning
and increase the knowledge base [about the marine environment]."[76]
Mr Russell of the BMAPA suggested that in order to remove some
development risks from marine industries "greater certainty"
needs to be "delivered about sites of nature conservation
importance", about which currently—as environmental
groups would readily admit—too little is known because of
gaps in the available data.[77]
48. The establishment of an marine management organisation
and the rolling out of a programme of marine spatial planning
which has to be flexible and capable of proper review must be
supported by sufficient funding to ascertain enough reliable and
current detailed information about the marine environment to inform
good and robust decision-making. While DEFRA still has to provide
further information on the cost implications of the Bill before
it is introduced to Parliament, clearly it would be unfair, especially
in the case of the renewable energy industry, for users to bear
all the financial burden of information provision. We look to
DEFRA to ensure that any new marine management organisation will
have enough resources to acquire the sort of level of detailed
data needed to support reliable and soundly-based marine spatial
planning.
75 Q60 Back
76
Q41 Back
77
Q40 Back
|
