Environment Minister Rebecca Pow sets out the UK’s vision for our seas and highlights cross-government Offshore Wind Enabling Actions Programme in keynote speech at the 2021 Coastal Futures conference. Published 19 January 2021 Defra
‘Thank you for inviting me back to speak at this year’s Ocean Recovery event, and to celebrate the work that has been going on across our marine space. I join you today at the beginning of an exciting new era for the UK, and at a time where the ocean is central to supporting a healthy marine environment alongside a successful fishing industry.
2020 was a challenging year for all of us, but our marine ambition has remained strong. The UK is a global leader in protecting our ocean and marine life, and has demonstrated this leadership over the last year through a number of commitments.
Alongside WWF, the European Commission and Costa Rica, the UK led the development of the Leader’s Pledge for Nature, which was launched in September at the UN General Assembly and is now supported by 82 signatories and the EU.
The Pledge aims to reset humanity’s relationship with nature, and sets the tone for a step-change in global ambition for climate and biodiversity both on land and at sea, to put biodiversity on a path to recovery.
Thirty-eight countries have also now joined the Global Ocean Alliance, which supports the target to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030, and this number of continues to grow.
Alongside this, the UK is now the Ocean Co-Chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. At the One Planet Summit on 11 January, we were proud to announce that between the two alliances, 66 countries now support the 30by30 ocean protection target.
The UK has a rich wealth of marine life, and now that the Transition Period has ended and we have secured a settlement with the EU, we are recognised as an independent coastal state with sovereign control of our waters.
No longer bound by the Common Fisheries Policy, the UK has a real opportunity to enhance the protection of our marine environment, and place sustainability at the heart of our fisheries policies. This includes working closely with my colleague Minister Prentis to join up our work across marine and fisheries, and we have already hit the ground running.
The Fisheries Act 2020, the first primary legislation on fisheries in the UK to be passed in nearly 40 years, has eight objectives of which six focus on sustainable fishing and environmental protection. The objectives of the Act, alongside our Marine Policy Statement and UK Marine Strategy, act as the major pillars to the protection of our marine environment.
2021 is an exciting year, marking an unprecedented alignment of international and domestic marine agendas, which is why we are calling it our ‘Super Year’. There is much to look forward to.
The UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing an ambitious post-2020 framework for biodiversity, to be adopted at COP15 of the upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity. Through the UK’s COP26 Presidency this November in partnership with Italy, we will place Nature at the core of our approach to the Conference, recognising the crucial role of Nature-based Solutions for climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience, and working closely with governments, businesses and civic organisations. You’ll hear more about the role of nature-based solutions in Session 6.
But, the UK’s global leadership really starts with our ambition and delivery at home.’
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