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Dear readers,
This month, all marine eyes were on the United Nations Ocean Conference, which gave high level visibility to the challenges the oceans are facing and created a sense of urgency to adopt solutions. Seas At Risk was in the frontline, spearheading a global NGO call to halt deep sea mining and contributing solutions to tackle marine litter at its roots.
President Trump's announcement that the United States would withdraw from the Paris agreement cast a shadow over the UN Ocean Conference. As the US shirks its climate responsibilities the importance of action by other big emitters like international shipping only grows.
On the conservation side, the European Union has finally adopted new criteria for Good Environmental Status of our seas and ocean, as well as a Nature Action Plan, which aims to improve the protection and management of Natura 2000 areas on land and at sea. We also reflect on the fate of UK marine protected areas after Brexit.
European Maritime Day was as always a prime opportunity to exchange views with stakeholders. Seas At Risk contributed with a workshop on multi-trophic aquaculture in which various opportunities and challenges were identified.
And finally we welcome the International Fund for Animal Welfare as a new member.
Enjoy the reading!
Seas At Risk team
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UN Conference highlights need for major new action to achieve global goal on oceans
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The UN Ocean Conference in support of Sustainable Development Goal 14 on the protection of the oceans came to a close with the adoption of a ‘Call for Action’ and over 1300 volutary commitments towards ocean conservation. For the first time ever, the UN devoted an entire week to the oceans, raising awareness at the highest political level about the importance of the oceans to human survival, and creating the overwhelming sentiment amongst about 4000 participants of a collective movement for the oceans.
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Marine litter in the spotlight of UN Ocean Conference
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Marine Litter was at the forefront of discussions at the UN Ocean Conference that ran from the 5th to the 9th June at the UN headquarters in New York. Seas At Risk addressed solutions to the global threat, by co-hosting a side event and submitting a commitment on single use plastics. The side event, entitled ‘Solutions to marine plastic litter’ was organized jointly with a wide range of NGOs, research institutes and political parties, and aimed to discuss solutions using approaches grounded in education, research and policy.
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39 NGOs worldwide call to halt deep sea mining
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Seas At Risk, supported by its 34 members and Mission Blue, BLOOM, the Deep Sea Mining Campaign and Earthworks, called on the international community to stop deep sea mining in its tracks. At the Ocean Conference of the United Nations, Dr Monica Verbeek, Executive Director at Seas At Risk said: “Deep sea mining is not needed in a world which is committed to the sustainable consumption and production under Agenda 2030. Unless we stop and think, we risk squandering one of our most precious ecosystems, which has a vital role to play in the health of our planet, for an obsolete dream of boundless growth”.
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Criteria for Good Environmental Status finally adopted
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After almost two years of consultations and negotiations, the European Union has finally adopted new criteria defining what it means for our seas and ocean to be in Good Environmental Status. Seas At Risk and its members have been actively involved in this process and, with other European NGOs, have contributed to a more coherent set of criteria, increasing the chances of having a similar level of protection across European seas.
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EU Action Plan for Nature: will it meet the marine protection needs?
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In 1992, the Habitats Directive was adopted in order to protect remarkable or vulnerable natural habitats in Europe. Twenty-five years later, the European Commission is stepping up its support to the Directive’s implementation and putting resources on the table to make sure that it effectively delivers on its goals and establishes a coherent network of Natura 2000 protected areas on land and at sea. The EU Action Plan for Nature, People and the Economy, adopted in April 2017, aims to boost the contribution of EU’s nature laws towards reaching the EU's biodiversity targets for 2020.
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Trump withdrawing US from Paris agreement puts more pressure on the International Maritime Organisation
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The deal - signed off in December 2015 by 195 countries - aims to limit global warming to well below 2C above pre industrial levels, a ceiling deemed dangerous by scientists. It’s important to note the White House decision does not directly impact climate talks at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Shipping was not included in the Paris Agreement and negotiations on maritime pollution control, the use of HFO in polar waters and CO2 cuts are the focus of IMO.
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Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture: an environmental opportunity for aquaculture
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Seas At Risk organised a workshop on Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture as part of the annual European Maritime Day. This year’s edition took place in the port town of Poole in the UK and saw over 1,000 maritime stakeholders discussing maritime issues under the theme “The Future of our Seas”.
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Europe's chance to take a bold stand against plastic pollution
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At a conference of the European Network of the Heads of Environment Protection Agencies (EPA), Seas At Risk presented a plea for Europe to take a strong stand against plastic pollution in the upcoming Plastic Strategy.
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Welcoming a new member: the International Fund for Animal Welfare
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Seas At Risk welcomed the International Fund for Animal Welfare as a new member into its network at its recent Annual General Meeting in Stockholm. The International Fund for Animal Welfare is one of the world’s leading international animal welfare organisations. It works around the world to improve animal welfare by protecting wildlife habitats, reducing commercial exploitation and helping animals in distress.
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What does Brexit mean for UK marine protected areas?
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While recent elections in the United Kingdom may change the direction that negotiations on Brexit will take, Brexit will still be the single biggest institutional change that will happen to the UK in its history. The UK government and civil service are still coming to terms with the process of change, the complexity of developing new laws, and the new political horizon of working with UK’s European partners once it exits the EU.
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