OCEAN BLUE

Oceans Policy

PEOPLE in Ireland use and connect with the ocean for a wide range of social, economic and cultural reasons. There is currently no clear statement at national level of what it is that the Irish individually and collectively value about the seas and coasts, and what relative priority should be attached to different options at different times and perhaps different places.

As a nation of islands, Ireland has some 7,500 kilometres of coastline, a correspondingly large exclusive economic zone (EEZ) covering some 465,000 square kilometres of the North-East Atlantic, and an even larger claim on the offshore continental shelf covering some 900,000 square kilometres of seabed.

Ireland's marine environment is contiguous with the global ocean. Ireland extends influence not only over a large EEZ but also over the wider North-East Atlantic region and (in the context of Irish fishing vessels) the high seas (international waters) plus the sovereign waters of developing countries, particularly in West Africa.

Over 50 per cent of Ireland's population live within 10 kilometres of the coast. There are nearly 20 inhabited offshore islands. The five largest urban conurbations are located along the coastline. There are 130 fishing harbours and 10 major shipping ports. Ireland's small open economy is strongly dependent on external trade and sea transport to reach its main markets. In addition to fisheries, aquaculture and shipping, the coastal zone supports strategic sectors such as heavy industry, power generation and tourism.

From the coastal margins to the distant offshore, these factors create pressures that need to be managed. A relatively small population in Ireland has helped to maintain a healthy sea, but it also restricts the resource base of funding and skills available for effective management activities.

Clearly it is vital that Ireland develop a comprehensive, integrated strategy for the protection of the marine environment, the sustainable use of its natural resources and the conservation of its biological diversity (biodiversity), principally its component marine and coastal ecosystems, not only for the well-being of the enormous variety of marine wildlife but also for the coastal communities that depend upon the seas and coasts for their livelihoods.

Marine Work Group Ireland was established the to develop a comprehensive policy that addresses the numerous threats and related pressures concerning the marine environment and biodiversity of Irish waters. The task set was to define a collective vision and identify the values we believe should inform policy- and decision-making about the marine area under Ireland's jurisdiction and beyond.

The resulting policy would be a first step toward a much more inclusive national dialogue and process of developing an overarching framework, or Oceans Policy, which will serve — in conjunction with the development of the European Marine Strategy at European Union level — to guide and rationalise the integrated management of our interaction with the oceans, seas, islands and coastal areas.

In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the need to effectively manage the impact of human activity on the marine environment and its biodiversity. Ireland ratified the hugely important United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1996. UNCLOS is the international framework in which nations agree to take responsibility for managing their own marine environment. Equally important are the overarching United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 (CBD) and the relevant objectives of the Plan of Implementation agreed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. Ireland is also a contracting party to the 1992 Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) — an appropriately strong regional seas agreement. Other landmark agreements include the EU Habitats Directive[1], Birds Directive[2] and Water Framework Directive[3]. These and other agreements — including in particular the forthcoming European Marine Strategy as proposed by the European Commission[4] — that are relevant both to Ireland's international obligations and the management of the marine environment under its jurisdiction have a crucial role to play in shaping Irish Government policy.

The State has numerous pieces of legislation related to the use of the ocean and its resources, some of which work to protect the marine environment, some of which do not. There are laws about commercial fishing, petroleum exploration and production, shipping, recreational and passenger craft, harbours and ports, marine nature reserves, sewage disposal, dumping at sea, etc. This framework is complicated and piecemeal, often contradictory and contains significant gaps; most of the laws do not recognise other users of the sea or the special natural values of the ocean. There is a corresponding lack of clearly defined goals to give direction to decisions about the ocean and guidance when those laws conflict.

Clearly there is a need to fill this vacuum with a modern, coherent, integrated national oceans strategy comprising firstly principles and objectives, secondly actions and policies for the future protection of Ireland's marine environment, sustainable use of its natural resources and conservation of its biodiversity: an Oceans Policy.

The Government has a leading role to play in facilitating the ecologically sustainable development of ocean resources by devising, developing and implementing modern oceans management. An Oceans Policy would provide a national strategy and policy framework for the integrated management, according to ecosystem principles, of all human activities that affect marine, coastal and estuarine environments in a way that protects the natural and national heritage, conserves biodiversity, and ensures the sustainable use of living and non-living natural resources.

An Oceans Policy would focus on issues associated with managing the marine environment within the jurisdiction of Ireland, including issues associated with the inter-tidal zone and the interaction between land management and the quality status of the marine environment. It would also take account of relevant international obligations and explicitly address issues relating to Ireland's management of, or involvement in, the wider North-East Atlantic region and other regional seas.

An Oceans Policy would allow a prior understanding of how, why and by whom choices will be made. It would act as a backbone to support a logical framework of national legislation and policies that together form a complete and functional structure that acknowledges and accommodates the wide range of legitimate and existing interests, values and activities that the people of Ireland have in relation to "their" marine environment. It would help State Organisations to manage conflicts between different management regimes and marine resource user groups.

An Oceans Policy would be dynamic and far-sighted, and be capable of positioning Ireland to both take advantage of new opportunities, such as ocean related renewable energy power generation, and shape reaction to new and/or increased levels of threats and pressures on the marine environment. It would ensure that exploiting new opportunities could be accomplished without putting at risk what is truly valued about the marine environment and our national marine, coastal and maritime heritage. It would define the quality of what is passed on to succeeding generations and provide them with a robust basis to meet their own challenges.

Footnotes

1. Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.

2. Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds.

3. Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy.

4. Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament Towards a strategy to protect and conserve the marine environment COM(2002) 539 final.