For World Oceans Day, Greenpeace UK launched “Operation Ocean Witness” and is urging the UK government to “get ocean protection done”. A six month operation, involving new Greenpeace ship Sea Beaver, will patrol the UK’s protected areas off the south coast of England and “do what the government has so far failed to do” – […]
The UK’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is a co-leader of a new global partnership to elevate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as a key tool in addressing the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Ahead of the UN climate change (COP 26) and biodiversity (COP 15) conferences scheduled later this year, Chile, Costa Rica, France, […]
The appointment of Richard Benyon as Defra minister in the House of Lords has prompted a rethink within the NFFO on its approach to the management of marine protected areas. In a long blog post, NFFO sets out its views and concerns: “To this point, our approach has been to challenge the Government’s shift from […]
A socioeconomic analysis [1] commissioned by Seas At Risk and carried out by New Economics Foundation has revealed that a ban on bottom-contacting gear (bottom trawling and bottom dredging) in Marine Protected Areas would yield net benefits as soon as four years after the ban comes into force. The study highlights that after 13 years […]
New report finds bottom trawling taking place in 98% of UK’s offshore Marine Protected Areas Date posted: 6 January 2021 Marine Conservation Society ‘We’ve released our Marine unProtected Areas report which found that bottom trawling is taking place in a worrying 98% of the UK’s offshore Marine Protected Areas designed to protect the seabed. As a result of […]
Guardian ‘Auditors slam EU for ‘marine protected areas’ that fail to protect ocean Only 1% of the 3,000 supposedly protected areas in the Mediterranean ban fishing Europe’s marine protected areas (MPAs), set up to prevent biodiversity loss at sea, are failing to protect the oceans according to an excoriating report from auditors. Click here to […]
New sites to offer protection for iconic species. Minke whale, basking sharks and Risso’s dolphins will be among a wide range of biodiversity and geological features to be safeguarded following the designation of four new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). A further 12 sites have been given Special Protection Area status, providing additional protection to Scotland’s […]
The Blue Marine Foundation have produced a new video on their work in Lyme Bay. Watch it here Collaboration and trust have been built to enable both fishing and conservation objectives to be realised. An important case study.