Session One - Marine Spatial Planning: The UK and European Dimension
Speakers: David Dawson, Haitze Siemers
What are the surveillance and enforcement aspects of the Marine Bill?
The MMO will be the delivery body, taking advice from the Environment Secretary on how to achieve sustainable development of marine resources, and from other relevant parts of government on behalf of various interest groups. Balancing conflicting interests is a difficult issue, but MMO seeks to do this.
The process focuses on transparency and consultation both with Parliament and public.
The Chair of the MMO will be appointed shortly, and will have to establish the organisation’s leading role matters concerning the marine environment. He/she will be supported by a Chief Exec and Board. The Board’s constitution is not prescribed in the bill, and competent and knowledgeable people will be sought, with a particular emphasis on those with scientific expertise.
Please clarify the interaction of the MMO with international bodies such as the IMO.
This is an issue at European level, and that European and international rules have to be taken into account at a national level. The best example is that of the Common Fisheries Policy.
How far out into the ocean will legislation apply?
The EU does not do spatial planning but encourages its member states to do so within their EEZs.
The remit of the MMO will be restricted mainly to British waters. Other government bodies are preparing strategies that relate to shipping. For instance, DEFRA will cooperate with the MMO in making policy. The MMO is a delivery body, not a policy-making body, but the divide is a little blurred.
The MMO will be based in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Does CFP reform in 2012 provide an opportunity for better integration?
Yes, but it need not be about new legislation: one challenge is to link up existing legislation and make it work in a more integrated fashion. Fisheries also pose significant problems of integration with other maritime activities.
There is need for better cooperation and coordination, rather than more legislation, although it is sometimes needed, especially in the interests of conservation.
Is the planning framework strong enough, and is it sufficiently comprehensive?
The requirement to plan is still being looked at, but that planning must be tailored to levels of activity and it is more important to get plans for heavily-exploited regions up and running than to plan for all eventualities for every area. There is a real desire for integrated and long-term planning, but planning must be flexible and able to take account of future changes and be able to be changed or withdrawn altogether, potentially at quite short notice.
The principal uses of the sea are economic: primary legislation is largely about maximising economic benefit whereas environmental ‘concept’ stresses conservation of resources. Therefore, a complex set of issues to weigh up. How can ‘environmental concepts’ be evaluated vis-à-vis the need for resources?
The process of drafting the bill had been valuable as it had got environmental and development interest groups talking, and there was provision in the bill that would allow the MMO to mediate between groups and balance conflicting interests.
Fishing, for example, can be very damaging, but it is in the long-term interest of fishermen to conserve stocks. Therefore, conservation and development issues are not mutually exclusive.