www'jncc'gov'ukmarineconsult

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Marine Natura in UK 2008-09 offshore SAC
consultation Charlotte Johnston, Mark Tasker,
Paolo Pizzolla JNCC North Sea RAC Demersal
Working Group, 25th Nov 2008
www.jncc.gov.uk/marineconsult
25/11/2008
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Who are JNCC?

• The Joint Nature Conservation Committee is the
  body that brings together the UK statutory nature
  conservation agencies
• Scottish Natural Heritage
• Natural England
• Countryside Council for Wales
• Council for Nature Conservation and the
  Countryside
• JNCC advises on nature conservation for UK
  offshore waters (beyond 12 nautical miles from
  the coast)

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Natura 2000

• The Natura Directives aim to stop biodiversity
  loss within the European Union by protecting
  natural habitats and species.
• Two Directives Habitats and Birds
• Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for
  habitats and non-bird species
• Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds

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Offshore SACs

• Habitats requiring protection under the Habitats
  Directive in waters away from the coast
• Reefs
• Sandbanks which are slightly covered by seawater
  all the time
• Submarine structures made by leaking gases
• Species requiring protection under the Habitats
  Directive for which SACs may be identified in
  future include grey seal, common seal, bottlenose
  dolphin and harbour porpoise

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Responsibilities for site identification

• Each country identifies SACs and SPAs in their
  territorial waters.
• JNCC identifies SACs and SPAs for UK offshore
  waters, and coordinate SAC/SPA selection for the
  UK.

Areas of responsibility
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Outcome of 2007-08 Consultation

• Previous consultation on 7 offshore possible
  SACs
• 5 sites were submitted to Europe and are now
  candidate SACs
• Darwin Mounds
• Stanton Banks
• Haig Fras
• Braemar pockmarks
• Scanner pockmark
• 2 sites remain possible SACs pending further
  work
• North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn reef
• Wyville Thomson Ridge

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UK offshore site consultations

• Two draft offshore SACs for public consultation
  starting in December 2008

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Offshore Marine Conservation Regulations

• UK offshore Regulations came into force August
  2007.
• Site protection provisions are
• JNCC advise government of sites (SACs and SPAs)
  to be submitted to Europe
• 12 week consultation on scientific justification
  for sites, then site list submitted to European
  Commission by 1st Sept each year
• JNCC provide Conservation Objectives and Advice
  on Operations to Competent Authorities
• Competent Authorities must manage activities so
  they dont affect the sites
• Plans and projects which may affect the integrity
  of a site require Appropriate Assessment
• Ongoing activities may require management
  measures if they affect the features of the site

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2008-09 consultation timetable
Oct-Dec Pre-consultation meetings with
competent 2008 authorities and key stakeholder
groups Dec 08 - Formal consultation period
(pending Mar 09 Government approval) April 09
- Analysis of consultation submissions and June
09 report to UK Government Aug 09 Sites
submitted to European Commission
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Offshore site consultations

• Documents for each possible site will be
  available in December 2008
• scientific justification for identifying the
  site
• draft impact assessment
• Consultation period 12 weeks
• JNCC then compile submissions and provide a
  summary report
• JNCC use the comments/results on the scientific
  justification for the site from consultation to
  modify site proposals if appropriate, and report
  to Government
• UK Government will then decide whether to submit
  the sites to the European Commission.

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2008-09 Consultation Dogger Bank dSAC
Draft
Sandbanks slightly covered by seawater all the
time Harbour porpoise Since 2005, the draft
boundary has been modified to take account of new
survey Harbour porpoise has been re-graded at
C-grade due to new data now available
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Dogger Bank slope analysis
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Dogger Bank infaunal communities
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UK Dogger Bank Adjacent European sites
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IAs - Impact Assessments
Government guidelines require an Impact
Assessment for all policy changes (previously a
Regulatory Impact Assessment or RIA) Impact
Assessments examine the likely economic impacts
of a policy change and the range of options for
implementing it
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IAs - Impact Assessments

• JNCC will be preparing impact assessments for
  each site using contractors
• Based on likely maximum and minimum management
  scenarios following JNCCs draft Conservation
  Objectives and Advice on Operations for each site
• Site-based Impact Assessments will be consulted
  on at the same time as the scientific
  justification for selection of the site.
• Impact assessments will be updated following the
  consultation incorporating information from all
  responding stakeholders

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Information needed from stakeholders

• Information on what activities undertaken, their
  current and potential worth
• Information on likely additional costs incurred
  by industry if the site is designated
• Initial information to JNCCs contractors during
  Nov-Dec 08 for inclusion in the Impact Assessment
  for consultation
• Comment and further input through 12 week formal
  site consultation (Dec 08 to March 09)

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Knowledge of current activities
Oil gas installations
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Knowledge of current activities
Aggregate extraction licence areas
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Knowledge of current activities
Cables pipelines
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Knowledge of current activities
Potential windfarm licence areas
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Knowledge of current activities
Demersal fisheries (2004)
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Protection of UK offshore SACs
Protection of habitats in UK offshore SACs is the
responsibility of Competent Authorities Examples
of Competent Authorities for UK offshore SACs
are Oil and Gas, windfarms and other energy
developments Department of Energy Climate
Change (DECC, formerly BERR) Marine aggregate
(sand and gravel) extraction Marine and
Fisheries Agency Fishing European Union
CFP Competent authorities must consider future
consents, and review existing consents
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Future plans for UK SACs and SPAs

• JNCCs offshore survey and data collation
  programme provides data for identification of
  additional draft offshore SACs
• JNCC are conducting surveys and research towards
  identification of draft offshore SPAs.
• Additional inshore SACs and SPAs away from the
  coast are also being identified by the Country
  Agencies with JNCC.
• The EC deadline for completion of the Natura 2000
  network is 2010.

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UK SAC network
Further areas of search to be assessed for
selection as SACs for habitats
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Summary

• Two UK possible offshore SACs (Dogger Bank NW
  Rockall Bank) will be consulted upon December
  2008 March 2009
• Consultation on the scientific justification for
  proposing the sites as SACs, plus likely
  socio-economic impact of site designation
• Information on socio-economic impact of
  designation requested now and during the public
  consultation
• More marine SACs (both inshore and offshore) to
  be consulted upon in 2009 and 2010
• JNCC are undertaking survey to complete the
  offshore Natura 2000 network
• We aim to make the process as open and inclusive
  as possible

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Further information

• All the information for the consultation will be
  available on the JNCC website
• www.jncc.gov.uk/marineconsult
• The UK Offshore Marine Conservation Regulations
• www.defra.gov.uk/marine/biodiversity/omcr.htm
• www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/20071842.htm
• To contact us about
• SACs, email offshoresacs_at_jncc.gov.uk
• SPAs, email offshorespas_at_jncc.gov.uk
• The consultation process - including registering
  your interest in taking part - email
  offshoreconsult_at_jncc.gov.uk