Transcript Only One Planet

Only One Planet
Strengths and weaknesses of the European
Community’s policies and programs for the
protection of marine biodiversity
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Jon Nevill,
B.E.Mech; B.A.; M.Env.Sc.
Only One Planet Australia
www.onlyoneplanet.com.au
The discussion:
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EU background marine conservation
performance benchmarks
three core marine conservation concepts
three policy portfolios
Member States fishing activities
current maritime policy initiative
summary
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Supporting information:
• 30-page paper at www.onlyoneplanet.com.au
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EU background:
The EU as well as European States acting individually have
been instrumental in developing conservation instruments
and concepts of global importance:
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the precautionary principle;
UN Stockholm conference 1972;
FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries 1995;
Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries 2001.
The EU has ratified several major international instruments
including the Law of the Sea 1982, and the Convention for
Biological Diversity 1992.
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EU background:
European marine environments, like the oceans of the
world, face five major threats:
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overfishing;
habitat damage;
impacts from atmospheric carbon dioxide;
pollution; and
alien organisms.
National programs aimed at protecting marine biodiversity
must address these major threats.
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Best practice policy tools:
Overfishing: restricted entry, restricted inputs, restricted
outputs, area closures, subsidy reduction, flag state controls on
high seas operations, market accreditation.
Habitat damage: gear restrictions, area closures, coastal
planning to protect rivers, estuaries and shorelines.
Climate change: international protocols.
Pollution: controls on: dumping of wastes, marine noise,
industrial effluent, sewage, diffuse pollution of rivers and
groundwaters especially by nutrients, litter from rivers and ships.
Alien organisms: risk-based controls on ballast water
discharge and hull fouling. Aquaculture controls. Infestation
monitoring and removal programs.
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Policy tools as performance benchmarks:
At this general level, all EU Member States
have programs matching this broad ‘best
practice’ template of controls.
Are these programs effective?
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Core management concepts:
Three core management concepts:
Precautionary approach:
• Article 174 of the Treaty establishing the European Community
requires Community environment policy be based on the
precautionary principle.
Ecosystem-based fishery management
• FAO Code of Conduct 1995
• CBD CoP decision V6
Strategic development of protected area networks
• Johannesburg WSSD 2002: “representative MPA networks
by 2012”;
• CBD Jakarta Mandate.
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Core policy portfolios:
These three concepts do NOT appear to feature
with any prominence in three central policy
portfolios:
• biodiversity: EU biodiversity strategy; Natura 2000
• fisheries: EU common fisheries policy (reformed)
• regional seas: Mediterranean, Black, Baltic, Adriatic
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EU performance, core management concepts:
Precaution / ecosystem-based management:
Fishery stock quotas are determined by the Council on
recommendation from the Commission. The Commission seeks
scientific advice from the International Council for the
Exploration of the Seas (ICES). The Commission requests the
ICES to apply a precautionary EBM approach in recommending
quotas.
The Council has consistently ignored Commission
recommendations in setting unsustainable quotas in several
major fisheries.
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EU performance, core management concepts:
Representative networks of protected areas:
No EU Member State has embarked on a strategic program of
MPA development.
The Natura 2000 framework does not require protection of
representative marine ecosystems.
An example: Sweden, at the close of 2004 (three decades after
the Stockholm Declaration) did not have a single marine no-take
area.
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EU fisheries management:
Some EU Member States feature prominently in IUU high
seas fisheries.
Some EU Member States feature prominently in destructive
deep seas bottom trawl fisheries.
Some EU Member States appear to actively encourage
illegal fishing operations by nationals.
Non-compliance with EU regulations is a major issue.
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EU fisheries management:
Non-compliance with international agreements is a major
issue.
Gianni (2004):
“Virtually all high seas bottom trawl fisheries are currently
conducted in a manner which is wholly inconsistent with
the conservation and management principles and
provisions of the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement and the
1995 FAO Code of Conduct”.
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EU fisheries management:
Non-compliance with international agreements is a major
issue.
Article 3 of the Convention on Biological Diversity 1992,
requires signatory States to “ensure that activities within
their … control do not cause damage to the environment …
beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.”
EU deep sea trawling is in flagrant violation of this requirement.
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Current developments, EU marine strategy:
Full title: Thematic strategy on the protection and conservation
of the marine environment 2005.
Part of a larger EU maritime policy, expected early 2007.
Core objective: to achieve ‘good environmental status’ by 2021
• establish marine regions, map eco-regions, habitats
• require Member States to develop marine strategies
• require monitoring and reporting programs
Principles: adaptive management, continuous improvement
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EU marine strategy:
Problems:
• Certain issues excluded (eg: Common Fisheries Policy)
• Long time frame:
Completion date of 2021 places the strategy outside existing
international targets (eg: Johannesburg target of MPA
networks by 2012).
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Summary:
Although the EU’s conservation rhetoric has been strong,
implementation to date has been seriously compromised.
The current efforts to develop a long-term EU marine
strategy appear ambitious and encouraging; however there
is no guarantee that the failures of previous conservation
efforts will not be repeated.
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