Marine Environment

(asked on 2nd November 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect the marine environment around the UK.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 10th November 2021

Our statutory UK Marine Strategy sets out a vision for UK waters to achieve clean, safe, healthy biologically diverse and productive seas, which are used sustainably. The Strategy provides a legal framework, agreed with the devolved administrations, for assessing and monitoring the status of our seas and to put in place the measures needed to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES). The Strategy covers marine biodiversity, non-indigenous species, commercial fishing, nutrient pollution, contaminants, underwater noise and marine litter. To protect UK seas effectively, we need to work with other countries. The UK plays a leading role in OSPAR (the regional sea convention for the North East Atlantic). We coordinate our efforts with our neighbours to ensure the best protection for our seas whilst maintaining their sustainable use.

Domestically, we have designated a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and are focussed on making sure they are properly protected. In English waters there are 178 sites protecting 40% of our seas. 98 sites in English inshore waters now have management measures in place to protect sensitive features from bottom towed fishing gears. All existing MPAs in English offshore waters will be protected from fishing activities which could prevent them achieving their conservation objectives through a three-year byelaw programme being undertaken by the Marine Management Organisation.

The Government has also launched plans to increase protections for England's waters through a pilot scheme to designate marine sites in England as Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs). HPMAs will take a 'whole site approach', conserving all species and habitats within their boundary to maximise protection of marine habitats and species. The purpose of HPMAs is biodiversity recovery and HPMAs have a critical role in ocean recovery and will contribute to the Government’s vision for ‘clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse ocean and seas’.

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