Environment Agency
The United Kingdom Marine Strategy Regulations 2010 require the United Kingdom to take the necessary measures to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status through the development of a United Kingdom Marine Strategy. The United Kingdom Marine Strategy, made up of Parts One, Two and Three, set out a comprehensive framework for assessing, monitoring and taking action across our seas to achieve the United Kingdoms shared vision for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse ocean and seas. To help assess progress towards good ecological status, it is broken down into 11 qualitative descriptors: biodiversity; non-indigenous species; commercial fish; food webs; eutrophication; sea-floor integrity; hydrographical conditions; contaminants; contaminants in seafood; marine litter and underwater noise.
There are strong links between the United Kingdom Marine Strategy and the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) under Water Environment Regulations (WER). The RBMPs address the improvement and protection of the chemical and ecological status of surface waters over the whole river basin ranging from rivers, lakes and groundwater through to estuaries and coastal waters out to one nautical mile at sea (in Scotland it is 3 nautical miles and out to 12 nautical miles for chemical status) and overlap with the United Kingdom Marine Strategy in coastal waters. The main areas of overlap are in relation to chemical quality, the effects of nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) and some aspects of ecological quality and hydromorphological condition.
Within the area of overlap:
- the Marine Strategy only intended to apply to those aspects of Good Environmental Status which are not already covered by WER (for example. noise, litter, aspects of biodiversity)
- United Kingdom targets and indicators for good environmental status are aligned as far as possible with existing WER assessment tools and criteria
- the WER data forms the foundations for the Marine Strategy work, so there is an integration between Good Ecological Status and Good Environmental Status
Marine Strategy and WER also take different approaches to protecting the marine environment:
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WER assesses quality of each part of ecosystem separately, basing overall status on the quality of the worst element
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Marine Strategy takes a more holistic, functional approach, focussing on all 11 descriptors
United Kingdom Marine Strategy Part One
An assessment of marine waters, objectives for good environmental status and targets and indicators to measure progress towards good ecological status (GES) (published December 2012, updated October 2019).
The 2019 updated report concluded that the United Kingdom has largely achieved GES for eutrophication, hydrographical conditions, contaminants and contaminants in seafood. However, vigilance is needed regarding possible impacts arising from emerging chemicals and new major infrastructure projects that may pose a risk to marine life. It also set out what targets would be used, and what further action was necessary.
United Kingdom Marine Strategy Part Two
Sets out the monitoring programmes to monitor progress against the targets and indicators (published August 2014, updated March 2021).
A key aim for the updated United Kingdom Marine Strategy Part Two is to coordinate our actions with other countries, particularly for OSPAR Region II (the Greater North Sea) and OSPAR Region III (the Celtic Seas). The monitoring programmes have been developed with the Devolved Administrations, other government departments and with scientists in the United Kingdom Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy evidence groups.
To improve consistency between the approaches for coastal waters and offshore waters, the monitoring programmes have been aligned with those used for coastal waters under RBMPs where appropriate.
United Kingdom Marine Strategy Part Three
Sets out a programme of measures for achieving good environmental status (published December 2015). An updated version is currently out for consultation (until 29 November 2021), which shows the programme of measures the United Kingdom intends to use to achieve or maintain GES for United Kingdom seas over the next 6 years.