Major sectors operating in the Celtic Sea area have moved a step closer to developing a unified approach to managing their activities more sustainably thanks to a workshop delivered by Pisces, a marine project funded by EC LIFE+.
Stakeholders from France, England, Ireland and Wales have attended a two-day workshop in Cork, Ireland, to start planning a new code of working that will help to enable marine activities like coastal recreation, shipping, offshore infrastructure and fisheries to continue in harmony, while reducing their impact on the natural environment.
The idea behind Pisces is to develop a set of guidelines that every sector from participating countries can follow to promote a healthy marine environment. These guidelines should add up to an ecosystem approach, which means thinking holistically about all the elements of the sea – its wildlife, physical processes and even human interactions.
The project recognises that flourishing ecosystems are vital for both wildlife and people's livelihoods.
During the workshop, stakeholders sketched out a set of principles and objectives to assist in making their day-to-day operations more sustainable.
They also began to think about the practical steps needed in order to achieve these goals. Such a diverse range of sectors and countries rarely have the opportunity to meet in a forum like this, let alone share perspectives and find common ground to plan future collaboration.
Roger Cook a stakeholder from the Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers said: "It’s great to be here with stakeholders who have a lot of information and knowledge of what’s going on, and we’re all coming here to share the objective that there are real advantages to us all if we can get this ecosystem based management thing right.”
Francois Huber, a stakeholder from the French provider of offshore wind farms, Blue H Group, said: "I was very happy to attend this workshop for the last two days, because it was a unique opportunity to interact with other stakeholders in a free environment where you can really express your views, and there is nothing at stake but just to try and work better together."
Play this video for more stakeholder perspectives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xclhseCVwOU
The next step will be wider outreach and consultation with sectors operating in the Celtic Sea area.
Pisces stakeholders will also continue to review and shape a set of actions plans that will underpin their agreed objectives.
The final guidelines are set to be communicated to the wider world in 2012.
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires member states to achieve or maintain 'Good Environmental Status' by 2020.
Pisces is being delivered by WWF-UK in partnership with The Environment Council and WWF Spain. With thanks to country technical support from SeaWeb in France and The Coastal & Marine Resources Centre in Ireland.
The Pisces Celtic Sea area also includes the Western Channel.
Pisces is a €2.1million ($2.8 million) project, which has been funded with the contribution of over €1 million ($1.3 million) from the LIFE+ financial instrument of the European Community. LIFE is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. Most of the remaining funding will be provided by WWF and The Environment Council.
