OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic

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OSPAR Commissionfor the Protection of the Marine
Environment of the North-East Atlantic
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OSPAR -who are we?

• 15 States in the North East Atlantic catchments
• Belgium Denmark Finland
• France Germany Iceland
• Ireland Luxembourg The Netherlands
• Norway Portugal Spain
• Sweden Switzerland The United Kingdom
• and the European Community

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Mapping the sea
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Evolution of current charts

• The physical world
• Mapping the sea
• Locations, projections, bathymetry
• - From portolans to Admiralty charts
• The living world

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First waves

• 1969 the Torrey Canyon
• 1970 ICES warning - concern for the land means
  threats to the sea
• 1971 preparations for Stockholm and the Stella
  Maris
• 1972 the Oslo Convention and Stockholm
• 1974 the Paris Convention

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The ripples spread

• 1992 UNCED and the need for integration
• 1993 North Sea QSR - pollution isnt the only
  problem
• 1997 Ecosystem approach - Kyoto protocol
• 1998 New OSPAR annex on biological diversity
  and ecosystems
• 2002 WSSD commitments

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The need for a strategy

• How else can we integrate the different sectors
• climate change
• pollution (land-based, offshore, shipping,
  dumping)
• use of sea space (fisheries, shipping, offshore)
• impact on species and habitats

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Ecosystem approach

• WSSD commitments require the application of the
  ecosystem approach to the management of human
  activities.
• All international organisations need to show how
  their programmes fit in with this approach
• OSPAR and HELCOM have done so.bb

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Role of Regional Seas Organisations (1)

• We have been working on marine issues for a
  generation, and have a body of experience to
  offer in the fields of hazardous substances,
  radioactive substances, eutrophication, offshore
  oil and gas industries, and the protection of
  marine biodiversity.

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Role of Regional Seas Organisations (2)

• Main strength We are required to be holistic
• we must assess the quality status of the marine
  environment and its development including both
  an evaluation of the effectiveness of measures
  takenand the identification of priorities for
  action.
• the assessments must cover water, sediments and
  biota, as well as human activities and natural
  and anthropogenic inputs.

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Role of Regional Seas Organisations (3)

• Regional seas organisations have a flexible range
  of procedures open to them, and have been
  innovative in deploying them. They can continue
  to play such an innovative role.

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Resource needs

• Implementing a marine strategy needs resources.
• There needs to be a similar level of effort
  throughout the management of the hydrological
  cycle.
• Is there a risk that the EC Water Framework
  Directives status will pre-empt resources?

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Envoi

• A European Marine Strategy must
• orchestrate the actions of all European States,
  the European Union and international bodies
  towards ambitious, clear and coherent objectives
  in all the fields affecting the marine
  environment
• win cooperation and commitments by all the
  various governments and organisations concerned.
  
• This requires careful choice of the appropriate
  form of instruments.