WELCOME TO NORTH SEA MARINE CLUSTER (NSMC)

The North Sea is one of the world's most important commercial and environmental areas. The North Sea Marine Cluster (NSMC) offers the opportunity to capitalise on the wealth of regional marine experience across sectors and represents a geographic concentration of inter-connected interests and expertise. It provides a significant missing component of English regional maritime capacity and capability in this highly important coastal and offshore area.

The North Sea Marine Cluster is a not-for-profit organisation self-funded by its members and founded on the principle that combining the expertise from the academic, private and public sector is an effective mechanism to share experience and expertise on the protection and sustainable growth of the marine environment.

The focus will be on activities within the North Sea, but application of the collective expertise and skills within the Cluster will also have an EU and international dimension.

The NSMC brings together the strengths and experience of its partner organisations: the University of East Anglia, Norfolk County Council in Norwich and the Gardline Group in Great Yarmouth. It combines academic excellence with real marine experience acquired in the North Sea and worldwide.  Capabilities are enhanced by the many other organisations that work with the Clusters partners with expertise in renewables – in particular wind farms, offshore oil and gas, environmental monitoring, planning, surveillance, fabrication and construction.

WILDAID GLOBAL MPA ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE: 25-29 NOVEMBER 2012

The NSMC was delighted to be invited to nominate a speaker to attend this important global conference.  It reflected the significant contribution that the NSMC has made to the debate within the UK about implementing marine protected areas (MPAs). Rodney Anderson, an Advisor to the Cluster, represented the NSMC and gave a presentation on the vital link between enforcement, management and science. It is a subject that the Cluster has previously highlighted following its programme of research during 2009 and 2010 and at the Cluster's UK conference in 2011 which examined the practicalities of MPA implementation.

The Wild Aid conference was held in San Francisco and was the first global event of its kind.  It brought together speakers and delegates from across the world enabling them to share experiences and discuss in depth the steps needed to ensure that MPAs were properly protected.  The conference attracted over 160 delegates from 32 countries.

During the course of the conference three broad categories of MPA were identified and discussed:

  1. inshore MPAs in tropical waters populated by coral species;
  2. large MPAs extending and ofetn located many ,iles from land and the principal governance base.
  3. networks of MPAs in temperate waters.

One category is not exclusive of another as there is a degree of overlap, but the different categories bring their own challenges and problems.  However, though each MPA is different and related political, social and economic conditions vary from country to countryand area to area, the conference revealed that there were common themes to be found, including:

  • Rarely before or after an MPA is declared will there be complete or robust scientific, social or economic data available.  It is usually a matter of identifying and gathering sufficient data for the purpose of declaring and managing an MPA.
  • Finding the resources needed to adequately manage, monitor, undertake surveillance and enforce is always an issue.
  • It is the political, social and economic factors that are likely to be the main obstacles to success and so it is important to take these into account from the outset when considering management measures.
  • Meaningful engagement of those affected is vital.  Without their suport - or at least acquiescence - management and enforcement will be costly and probably ineffective.
  • The benefits of a MPA might not be enjoyed by all.  There may well be losers as well as winners when a MPA is declared and the management regime adopted can lead to someprevious users being given preference over others.
  • There is often scope for the various management and regulatory bodies to work better together, reducing costs and improving effectiveness.
  • Technology can assist and increasingly offers new means of monitoring and surveillance, but should be proportionate to local needs and capacity and the resources available.
  • Each MPA must have clearly defined objectives against which progress can be monitored and assessed.  This also helps build a shared understanding with stakeholders and aids communications more generally.
  • It is helpful to have a strong legal framework coupled with the ability and willingness of the managing body to act when rules are transgressed.  But, even where the legislative processes are weak, if there is support among those directly affected, there can be effective compliance.
  • Coopperative management with the regulatory authorities and stakeholders working together presents the most efficacious model.
  • Management always needs to be adaptive and responsive

Further information about the conference is at http://wildaid.org/event/2012-mpa-conference

The emerging themes of the Wild Aid cinference reinforced the findings of the research sponsored by the NSMC.  They featured strongly in the Cluster's case study report in 2012 on the Chagos Archipelago (MPA) http://www.nsmc.eu.com/Marine-Protected-Areas-Report-3.pdf  It is apparent that within the UK and its developing future MPA management plans as well as drawing on experience gained from closer to home.

A copy of Rodney Anderson's presentation can be downloaded here.

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