The Wildlife Trusts have presented a report to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment, Dr Therese Coffey MP at a marine round table held on board Research Vessel Cefas Endeavour on the Thames in London on 25th October.

The Wildlife Trusts has identified five unprecedented challenges that must be addressed before we leave the EU. The Government’s first responsibility is to ensure that we bring across existing European regulations which provide protective measures for our seas and sea-life – we need to safeguard existing protective law, as promised in the Withdrawal Bill. With that done, however, we believe that there is more we can do to balance the needs of both people and wildlife.

Our new report, The Way Back to Living Seas, outlines a new national marine strategy that revolutionises our approach to marine management and provides a blueprint to allow our seas to recover to their former abundance.  Through a new marine planning system based on Regional Sea Plans and a joined-up network of Marine Protected Areas, we can safeguard marine wildlife and help the livelihoods of the many people who depend on the sea. Click here to download the report and read more