The Marine Institute today (Friday 24th September 2010) welcomed the publication of a major international marine environmental status report highlighting evidence of climate change and ocean acidification in the North Atlantic and calling for the creation of more Marine Protected Areas. The Quality Status Report 2010 was compiled by an international team of scientists, including Marine Institute experts, from countries participating in the Oslo-Paris Convention (OSPAR).
Speaking from the launch of the report in Bergen, Norway, Minister of State with responsibility for Sustainable Transport, Horticulture, Planning and Heritage, Mr. Ciaran Cuffe T.D. said that Ireland welcomed this evidence-based assessment of the marine environment as a ‘major milestone.’
“Such periodic holistic assessments are essential ‘barometers’ allowing policy makers to gauge overall progress towards sustainable management and identify those actions essential to deliver clean, diverse, healthy and productive seas around us,” said Minister Cuffe. “Such actions are critical to maintaining our seas and oceans as a sustainable resource for this and future generations.”
According to the Report, climate change and ocean acidification effects are now evident especially in the northern OSPAR areas. In addition, human uses of the marine environment, such as offshore renewable energy, offshore oil and gas production, mineral extraction and shipping, are increasing and must be managed in a coordinated way, backed up by research on impacts, if environmental damage is to be avoided.
Furthermore, the decline in biodiversity is far from being halted and actions, such as extending the network of offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), are required to improve the protection of threatened and/or declining species and habitats. In December 2009 Ireland designated 19 MPAs including 4 offshore MPAs.
However, the Report states that there has been progress in reducing pollution from nutrients, certain hazardous substances and radioactive substances in our oceans and seas, although continued efforts are needed. In addition, there have been improvements in fisheries management, although fishing activities continue to have large impacts on marine ecosystems in the seas around Ireland.
“The Marine Institute is delighted to have participated closely in the development and production of this assessment by acting as the focal point for Irish involvement in the process and by providing data and scientific input,” said Dr. Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute. The QSR 2010 Report is a product of cooperation between many experts from 15 OSPAR countries. The Department of Environment, Health and Local Government act as Head of Delegation for Ireland to OSPAR.
ENDS
For further information please see the QSR website at http://qsr2010.ospar.org
For further information, please contact:
Dr. John Joyce – Communications Manager, Marine Institute.
087 2250871 For further information, please contact:
Notes to Editor
Please find below the two links to the press releases announcing the outcomes of the meeting:
The launch of the Quality Status report, which gives a clear picture of the state of the North-east Atlantic
OSPAR launches the Quality Status Report 2010 - OSPAR News - Press Office - OSPAR Commission
The press release following the Ministerial Meeting:
OSPAR Ministers protect the North-East Atlantic deep-seas treasures - OSPAR News - Press Office - OSPAR Commission
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government press release:
Cuffe Welcomes Status Report On North East Atlantic
The Oslo-Paris Convention (OSPAR) see www.ospar.org
OSPAR[1] is the mechanism by which fifteen Governments of the western coasts and catchments of Europe, together with the European Community, cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. It started in 1972 with the Oslo Convention against dumping. It was broadened to cover land-based sources and the offshore industry by the Paris Convention of 1974. These two conventions were unified, up-dated and extended by the 1992 OSPAR Convention. An annex on biodiversity and ecosystems was adopted in 1998 to cover non-polluting human activities that can adversely affect the sea.
The sixteen Contracting Parties to OSPAR are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the EC. The OSPAR area extends from the pole to Gibraltar and to the mid-Atlantic. Region III (Celtic Seas) covers the shelf waters around Ireland. DEHLG are the Head of Delegation for Ireland but a number of other departments and agencies are engaged.
OSPAR has first developed, and is implementing, a suite of five thematic strategies to address the main threats that it has identified within its competence (the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Strategy, the Eutrophication Strategy, the Hazardous Substances Strategy, the Offshore Industry Strategy and the Radioactive Substances Strategy), together with a Strategy for the Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme, which assesses the status of the marine environment and follows up implementation of the strategies and the resulting benefits to the marine environment. These six strategies fit together to underpin the ecosystem approach.
The Quality Status Report (QSR) 2010 See http://qsr2010.ospar.org
The QSR 2010 is the ultimate product of OSPAR’s Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme 2000-2010 and provides a summary holistic synthesis of a vast array of underlying assessment material (also accessible via the QSR 2010 website). It provides a clear picture of the pressures, the current state and changes since QSR2000, outlook and actions required to ensure clean, diverse, healthy and productive seas to underpin a sustainable resource for this and future generations. The QSR development was overseen by OSPAR’s Environmental Assessment and Monitoring committee (ASMO) and the process managed by the Management of the QSR (MAQ) group. As delegate to ASMO and MAQ the Marine Institute played a role working with other experts from other countries to develop the QSR as well as providing key Irish scientific and technical input and coordinating Irish involvement. In particular Ireland, through the Marine Institute, was task manager for two of the key assessments of the impacts of human activities on the marine environment: aquaculture and munitions dumped at sea.
Strategies to protect, preserve and, where practical, restore regional seas clearly require international cooperation. OSPAR along with other regional sea conventions will have an important role in supporting Member States in delivering the new Marine Strategy Framework Directive[2] with a view to achieving Good Environmental Status by 2020.
[1] OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic 1992
[2] DIRECTIVE 2008/56/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17 June 2008establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive)