According to WWF, Gordon Brown has ignored one of the key environmental issues facing the UK by not including a UK Marine Bill in his proposed legislative programme for next year, and the organisation is now questioning the UK’s new Prime Minister’s commitment to the environment.
By failing to announce the Marine Bill in his 'Brown's Speech' to the Commons in July, WWF says that the Prime Minister gave the strongest indication possible that the Government has turned its back on protecting the seas from serious damage for another year. Ben Bradshaw, previous Fisheries Minister made repeated assurances that the bill, which was a manifesto commitment, would be introduced before the next election.
Sally Bailey, Deputy Head of WWF's Marine Programme says: “The UK is in urgent need of a Marine Bill. The health of the UK marine environment is in severe decline and by turning his back on our seas the new Prime Minister has fallen at the first hurdle in proving his green credentials. WWF has been warning of the detrimental effects of not introducing a Marine Bill for several years but it now appears these warnings have fallen on deaf ears. Our marine environment does not stand a chance unless proper legislation is put in place.”
Currently less than two per cent of the UK sea area is afforded any level of protection. WWF's Marine Health Check in 2005 reported that of 16 key marine species and habitats all but two were in decline in UK waters. These include the harbour porpoise, common skate, long snouted seahorse, and basking shark. Marine biodiversity faces threats from climate change, fisheries and other human activities. These range from aggregate and oil and gas extraction to building cable and pipelines. It is crucial that we have a proper planning system in place to deal with all these conflicting pressures on our seas, says WWF.
WWF has been campaigning for a UK Marine Act for over five years and says that the country urgently needs a new Marine Act to update the management of activities at sea and to protect marine wildlife and the entire marine ecosystem.
The organisation says that the UK has the best wind, tidal, and wave energy resources in Europe and it believes that a UK Marine Act would help speed up the development of the offshore renewable sector by streamlining the planning and consenting process for the future. Now, without a Marine Bill the government will find it much harder to meet its own CO2 emissions reduction and renewables targets. The organisation says that the country needs a Marine Bill alongside a Climate Change Bill to ensure renewable energy needs are met and to ensure we do not devalue the marine environment which is our important natural carbon sink.
Sally Bailey adds: “The Prime Minister has just relinquished a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide legislation for the UK's vast area of sea. We simply cannot afford this delay.”
