04 Jul 2023
Proposals for a series of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMA) have been scrapped, the Scottish Government has confirmed. Proposals had previously been put forward to create HPMAs in at least 10% of Scotland’s waters – which would have restricted fishing and other activities. Plans to deliver increased protection for Scotland’s marine environment will be revised, […]
04 Jul 2023
The Welsh Government has opened its Tidal Lagoon Challenge Fund. The fund is worth £750,000 and will support innovative research that will help to reduce or remove the barriers that are preventing tidal range schemes being developed. The fund was first announced in March at the Marine Energy Wales conference by the First Minister and […]
04 Jul 2023
Countries from around the North-East Atlantic met in Oslo, Norway for the 2023 meeting of the OSPAR Commission for the Protection and Conservation of the North-East Atlantic. OSPAR Contracting Parties agreed to extend its largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) to include the seabed and a number of additional species and habitats, such as coral gardens […]
04 Jul 2023
Profits from the British monarchy’s multibillion-pound legacy portfolio of land and property holdings have surged 42 per cent. The Crown Estate, which owns the seabed surrounding Wales, Northern Ireland and England up to 12 nautical miles, announced record £442.6 million net revenue profit, £129.9 million higher than last year. This increase primarily reflects option fee […]
04 Jul 2023
The Shark Fins Act has passed into UK law (29 June). The Act will ban the import and export of detached shark fins, including all products containing shark fins such as tinned shark fin soup. As reported by the UK Government in a news release: ‘Shark finning is the cruel and wasteful practice of removing […]
28 Jun 2023
The latest progress report on reducing emissions from the Committee on Climate Change finds that the UK has lost leadership in climate action and almost all targets are being missed. Particular areas of criticism include insultation of homes, transport emissions, no coherent programme for behaviour change, and still no decision on hydrogen for home heating. […]
28 Jun 2023
The Environment Agency has published a summary of England’s draft regional and water resources management plans. It considers whether the proposed plans will secure resilient and sustainable water supplies up to 2050. Key issues highlighted in the summary include The Agency argues that “following recent droughts that some water companies are less resilient than expected”, […]
28 Jun 2023
Latest update from the joint Environment Agency Ofwat investigation will be concerning for the whole industry The Environment Agency’s national investigation into potential breaches of permit conditions at wastewater treatment works by water and sewerage companies. On 18 November 2021, the Environment Agency and Ofwat announced separate major investigations into potential widespread non-compliance by water and sewerage companies […]
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