The evidence of anthropogenic or human induced changes in the oceans and seas worldwide is prolific and profound. Only 4% of the world’s oceans remain undamaged by human activity1.
‘Over-harvesting and bottom trawling are degrading fish habitats and threatening the entire productivity of ocean biodiversity hotspots, making them more vulnerable to climate change’ Nelleman et al. (2008).
Cumulative stresses including habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, coastal development, bottom dredging and ocean acidification, though the absorption of carbon dioxide largely from fossil fuels, are pushing marine ecosystems beyond the brink of recovery.
Currently coastal erosion affects 20% of the Northern Ireland coastline2 although this will undoubtedly intensify with the likely predictions of increased storm surges and sea level rise.
The oceans and seas are paying for our actions and the predictions do not look good. There are increasingly signs of ecosystem collapse with the number of ‘dead zones’ in the oceans having increased from 149 in 2003 to 200 in 20063.
So what can we do about it?
The diversity of life is the property that makes resilience possible4. We also depend on it for our food and our health. It is that simple - we cannot exist without it.
Diverse marine habitats that have been built up over time have developed a natural resistance and recover from perturbations more quickly. They often support species that have a mutually exclusive dependence on them and can be found nowhere else. It was found by Worm et al. (2007) that marine biodiversity is positively related to productivity, stability and the supply of ecosystem services i.e. fish stocks, water quality, nutrient recycling and the buffering or mitigation of climate change impacts.
Presently less than 0.001% of UK seas are fully closed to all damaging activities. In order to preserve the foundation of the seas we urgently need to put in place core areas of the sea that are fully protected.
The need for Highly Protected Marine Reserves
Highly Protected Marine Reserves are areas of the sea that have full protection from activities such as fishing and dredging. They serve to increase recovery and resilience, halt biodiversity loss, aid in the adaptation of the effects of climate change and have been known to replenish commercially depleted species. They act as an essential core of protection that may be placed within a wider network of Marine Protected Areas including sites such as existing Special Areas of Conservation or Marine Conservation Zones that are yet to be set up in Northern Ireland. This will also help to meet Northern Ireland’s targets to have networks of Marine Protected Areas by 2010 and 2012.
MARINE RESERVES REPORT FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
In September 2007 the Ulster Wildlife Trust and WWF Northern Ireland, with part funding from EHS, commissioned a report to Professor Callum Roberts, Dr. Julie Hawkins and Ruth Thurstan from the University of York to provide advice and recommendations as to the way forward to insuring the meeting of Northern Ireland’s targets for Marine Protected Areas. This report largely focused on the need for marine reserves as being a central core of highly protected areas within and out with current Marine Protected Areas.
A key finding of the report recommended that 'A network of Highly Protected Marine Reserves is urgently needed to restore and protect Northern Ireland's marine environment'.
The report described trends over time in Northern Ireland’s seas, emerging problems, current Marine Protected Areas and advice and recommendations as to the way forward to what is needed to secure a sustainable future for Northern Ireland’s seas and its users.
The launch of the report was the 1st May at Queens University (venue kindly sponsored by the Institute of Biology Northern Ireland). The programme is downloadable from here. Speakers included Professor Callum Roberts and Ruth Thurstan from the University of York, Chris Davis from Natural England, Melanie Gomes from the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force and Lisa Chilton Marine Development Manager from the Wildlife Trusts. Brian Black, Northern Ireland’s renowned environmental broadcaster also gave a speech at the day.
Prior to publication of the final report there was also a stakeholder workshop on the 27th March at Dendron Lodge, Clandeboye to gather peoples views and incorporate them in to the final report as well as a wider circulation of the draft report to give people the opportunity to further comment.
To download the final report ‘Marine Reserves in Northern Ireland The Way Forward’ click here. To download an executive summary click here.
The Ulster Wildlife Trust and WWF Northern Ireland would like to thank the marine volunteers, the Institute of Biology for sponsoring the venue and the University of York for all their hard work and dedication in delivering this project.
Let’s hope Northern Ireland listens to this valuable advice!
Professor Roberts has also written a book ‘The Unnatural History of the Sea’ which was voted one of the top 10 books by the Washington post. The link of which is here: http://www.york.ac.uk/res/unnatural-history-of-the-sea/sealife/index.htm
For more information on the science of marine reserves please see this link to the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) and click on ‘international version’.
http://www.piscoweb.org/outreach/pubs/reserves
For more information or any questions please contact Melanie Gomes, Marine Policy Officer on 028 4483 0282 or email melanie.gomes@ulsterwildlifetrust.org
For references used please click here
