14 Apr 2026
Image description: A puffin with fish in its beak. Photo by Tim Morgan Defra published its updated UK Marine Strategy Part One on 7 April 2026 – the first full update since 2019 and the opening of the strategy’s third six-year implementation cycle. The headline finding is stark: the UK is failing to meet Good Environmental Status in […]
14 Jan 2025
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) have launched an investigation into Defra in relation to a suspected failure to take the necessary measures to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine waters by the statutory deadline. Under the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, the statutory deadline for GES to be achieved was 31 December […]
05 Dec 2023
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has launched a call for evidence to support a review of the drivers, pressures and data gaps affecting the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) in UK marine waters. Evidence submitted will help inform the OEP’s work to drive positive change on critical issues impacting the marine environment. […]
14 Sep 2021
Publication of the updated UK Marine Strategy Part Three Defra, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government have launched a consultation on the proposed updates to the UK Marine Strategy Part Three. The document sets out the programme of measures will implement over the next six years to achieve or maintain […]
26 Oct 2019
Defra: ‘Updating the UK marine strategy part one (2019) We have now published the summary of responses and government’s response. As a result of Good Environmental Status assessments carried out ahead of the consultation and the responses to the consultation itself, we have published an update to the Marine Strategy. Detail of feedback received Marine […]
11 May 2019
Wildlife & Countryside Link ‘Conservation and environment groups are highlighting the spectacular failure of UK Governments to deliver on their collective promises to keep our seas healthy and biologically diverse shown in the revised UK Marine Strategy (published late yesterday, 9 May). Conservation experts are calling on Governments across the UK to radically up the […]
11 May 2019
Defra: Consultation on Marine Strategy Part One: Defra, Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government are seeking views on the UK’s updated assessment of the progress made towards achieving GES for the UK Seas and the proposed objectives, targets and indicators that will be used for […]
30 Jul 2015
This report published produced by Enfusion and Jim Claydon for Wales Wildlife Link aimed to assess how marine planning could be used as an effective tool to help deliver the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). It looked at How the MSFD descriptors could be linked with MSP objectives Reviewed what progress had been made with […]