Living Seas’ is the Wildlife Trusts’ vision for the future of UK’ seas and sea life.
'Within Living Seas, marine wildlife thrives, from the depths of the ocean to the coastal shallows’.
In Living Seas:
Wildlife and habitats are recovering from past decline as our use of the seas’ resources becomes environmentally sustainable. - The natural environment is adapting well to a changing climate, and ocean processes are helping to slow down climate change.
- People are inspired by marine wildlife and value the sea for the many ways in which it supports our quality of life.
The Wildlife Trusts believe that Living Seas are possible within 20 years – one generation.
For far too long, our seas have been out of sight and out of mind. There is an urgent need for the reform of the management of our seas and coast, to safeguard the future of our diverse marine wildlife and the local communities that depend on them for their livelihoods.
Northern Ireland is currently three years behind the rest of the UK in the implementation of marine legislation. This provides a previously unrivalled opportunity for radical change in the management of our marine environment in order to achieve Living Seas.
The Ulster Wildlife Trust has been campaigning for over eight years for reform of marine management through a Marine Bill for Northern Ireland. To secure a sustainable long-term future for our seas, we are calling for the Northern Ireland Marine Bill to be implemented without further delay as well as putting in place the following five key campaign asks which will help to deliver Living Seas:
1. An ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas with highly protected marine reserves by 2012
2. Joined-up marine spatial planning of marine industry, leisure and conservation based on ecological boundaries of regional seas rather than political boundaries
3. A Northern Ireland Marine Management Organisation charged with developing marine plans
4. Marine licensing that is not covered under the UK Bill - the precautionary principle and cumulative effects should be considered for all license applications.
5. Fisheries management should not be excluded from this reform as fisheries management and biodiversity are intricately linked.
Work to deliver the ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), with a particular focus on identifying nationally important sites, needs to occur prior to 2012.
In order for this MPA network to fulfill its function effectively it is necessary that there is a core of highly protected marine reserves, which are areas that are fully protected from all damaging activities such as fishing and dredging. The identification of pilot projects for marine spatial planning is also a priority.
To read more about our Living Seas vision, please download the report ‘Living Seas. The Wildlife Trusts’ Vision’
To read more about our Marine Reserves campaign, please download the report ‘Marine Reserves in Northern Ireland: the way forward’ .
What you can do for your seas
We need supporters to write to their MPs, MLAs and the Minister for the Environment urging for the implementation of the Northern Ireland Marine Bill without further delay as well as implementing the key campaign asks above in order to deliver Living Seas for future generations.
Please include the points above in your letter or download a template letter here. You can find contact information for your MP and MLA at www.writetothem.com.
Please contact melanie.gomes@ulsterwildlifetrust.org for more information.
To follow developments on the NI Marine Bill through the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force website please click here.
For more information on what is happening at a UK level click here.
