Saving more than whales and seals

Environmentalists took an unusually long time to agree their position on the idea of an EU maritime policy. The huge scope of the maritime policy green paper made it harder for groups working in more than one sector to define their positions. The maritime policy also covers subjects that are less familiar to green groups, such as regional policy and satellite monitoring.

To confuse things further, the European Commission launched a public consultation on its maritime policy only eight months after it had published a marine strategy that was entirely devoted to environmental concerns.

The Commission says in the maritime policy that the environmental marine strategy will be one of its two ‘pillars’, with the other provided by the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs.

All green groups agree that both the maritime policy and marine strategy have to be tough when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector, protecting sea life, and keeping seas and oceans clean. But there are disagreements over which offers the greatest environmental opportunities.

WWF is in no doubt that the maritime policy has the potential to clean up European seas.

"The use of ocean space is not organised and Europe needs to remedy this with a maritime policy that clearly allocates space use," said Aaron McLoughlin, head of the WWF European marine programme.

"We all know that space planning is crucial to cities and fields, so why should it be different for the sea?"

Simon Cripps, director of the WWF marine programme, said that Europe risked being left behind by the rest of the world unless it developed a comprehensive maritime policy.

"Europe can take the lead in saving its marine environment and boosting its competitiveness with a strong maritime policy," he said. "Or it can just watch others from East Asia to Australia sell it the benefits of their foresight."

The environmental campaign group Greenpeace warns that unless marine strategy shortcomings are addressed first, this pillar of maritime policy will not hold up.

The marine strategy offers the chance to agree an eco-system approach, setting environmental standards for oceans and seas, said Katharine Mill of Greenpeace’s EU office. Policies for other maritime sectors, such as transport and tourism, could then be based on the environmental criteria established by the marine strategy.

"Unless we base everything on an eco-system approach," said Mill, "we are just looking at a fragmented sectoral approach - which is what we have now."

To make sure environmental criteria do not slip down the agenda, WWF, Greenpeace, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Seas at Risk have formed a coalition to lobby on EU saltwater policies.

But each group maintains its own priorities for the maritime policy and marine strategy, adding to the list of interests the Commission must reconcile.

IFAW wants a guarantee that the maritime policy will promote "the adoption of measures to reduce collisions of ships with marine mammals, as well as by-catch of small cetaceans - especially harbour porpoises," said Veronica Frank, marine campaigner at IFAW.

A statement from Seas at Risk reveals worries that "environmental considerations will… have to compete with broader economic considerations" in the maritime strategy.

To remind everyone of the bigger picture, Greenpeace last month published a report highlighting the links between oceans and climate change.

According to the report: "Further predicted impacts of climate change on the marine environment include shrinking and shifting spawning grounds, changing currents, rising acidity caused by absorption of carbon dioxide, and rising sea levels and storms, threatening coastal ecosystems and habitats."

Saskia Richartz, marine policy adviser for Greenpeace, said: "Protecting seaweed, starfish and squid is no luxury."

Environmentalists took an unusually long time to agree their position on the idea of an EU maritime policy. The huge scope of the maritime policy green paper made it harder for groups working in more than one sector to define their positions. The maritime policy also covers subjects that are less familiar to green groups, such as regional policy and satellite monitoring.

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