Damien English, T.D, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal and Minister Thérèse Coffey M.P, UK Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, opened the annual meeting of the OSPAR Commission in Cork today, 26th June. The 2017 meeting, which is co-hosted by Ireland and the UK, comprises key international environmental policy makers from Contracting Parties to the OSPAR Convention for the Protection and Conservation of the North-East Atlantic. The meeting will see the finalisation and launch of OSPAR’s Intermediate Assessment 2017, demonstrating the close cooperation between OSPAR countries, and OSPAR’s greater understanding of how best to deliver a clean, healthy and biologically diverse North-East Atlantic.
Minister English said ‘’Prestigious Events such as this OSPAR meeting provide a great opportunity to develop a common understanding of issues of mutual concern, to share experiences and knowledge, and to develop ways to best work together to protect and sustainably manage our shared marine environment’’.
The 1992 OSPAR Convention was formed from conventions originating in the 1970s covering dumping at sea, land-based sources of pollution and the offshore industry. OSPAR expanded its remit in 1998 to cover the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems and non-polluting human activities that can adversely affect the sea. OSPAR represents 15 individual countries and the European Union. More than 60 observer organisations comprising Non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) and other Inter-Governmental Organisations also play an essential role.
The Minister further commented that ‘‘I believe that Regional Sea Conventions such as OSPAR are the ideal vehicles for developing mechanisms to protect the marine environment and to enhance our knowledge and understanding of marine issues, while acknowledging the peculiarities and unique nature of local ecosystems’.
‘We, as current custodians of the marine environment have a duty and a responsibility to pass on a marine resource to future generations, a rich and abundant legacy to be sustainably developed and enjoyed by our children and their children’’ the Minister concluded.
ENDS
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
OSPAR (Oslo-Paris) Commission
1. The OSPAR Commission was set up by the 1992 OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, which unified and updated the 1972 Oslo and 1974 Paris Conventions. It brings together the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, together with the European Community.
2. More than 60 international non-governmental organisations are involved in OSPAR as official Observers. They represent a broad range of interests and expertise related to the marine environment and the uses of marine resources. Many contribute information, insights and standpoints. This is much appreciated feedback from civil society and the economy. The OSPAR Commission greatly values these partnerships that help inform its decisions and other results (www.ospar.org/observers ).
3. OSPAR’s Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (www.ospar.org/documents?v=34422 ) focusses on the development of regionally coordinated actions to reduce the impacts from marine litter, monitoring and assessment; and strengthening cooperation with other relevant regional and international organisations and industry. Ireland is a lead country for a number of these actions – including microplastics in wastewater and storm water; reducing expandable polystyrene marine litter; and identifying and assessing legal and economic incentives to reduce consumption of single use items commonly found as marine litter. We also are participating in the action to identify marine litter hotspots in the North Atlantic region
4. The main work areas covered by the Convention are:
• Hazardous substances and Eutrophication
• Offshore Industry
• Radioactive Substances
• Biodiversity and Ecosystems
• Environmental Impacts of Human Activity
• Cross cutting issues
OSPAR Commission
The OSPAR Commission is the forum through which Contracting Parties cooperate. It normally meets once a year, usually at the end of June. The annual meeting is hosted by one of the Contracting Parties.
The Commission is supported by five main committees dealing with OSPAR work areas, some of which are in turn supported by working groups. In addition, the Heads of the Delegations of the Contracting Parties meet regularly to prepare the meetings of the Commission, to advise on management and to oversee the development and implementation of the agreements made by the Commission. The Commission is also supported by meetings of the Group of Jurists and Linguists and the Committee of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen.
The main output from this year’s Meeting will be the publication of an intermediate assessment of the environmental status of the north East Atlantic.
Because of the trans-boundary nature of marine pollution, it is considered best to address marine environmental issues at regional seas level and OSPAR consists of EU and non-EU members in the North East Atlantic
For further information: www.ospar.org
EU Legislative Context
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) was adopted in 2008 (Directive 2008/56/EC) and it establishes a framework within which EU Member States are obliged to develop marine strategies, the aim of which is to achieve or maintain good environmental status (GES) in the marine environment by the year 2020. It is a multi-phase, multi cycle process with the initial cycle concluding in 2020, after which Cycle II will commence.
Good environmental status (GES) is defined as ‘the environmental status of marine waters where these provide ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are clean, healthy and productive within their intrinsic condition, and the use of the marine environment is at a level that is sustainable, thus safeguarding the potential for users and activities by current and future generations’.
As the marine environment is transboundary in nature, with species and currents freely crossing jurisdictions, it requires that member States work closely together and with the Regional Sea Conventions such as OSPAR to achieve Good Environmental Status,
Responsibility for the MSFD and OSPAR Implementation
The Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has the lead role in Ireland for implementation of MSFD and the OSPAR Convention. But because of the cross-cutting nature of marine issues, four other Departments and agencies are intrinsically linked to the process –these include (among others) Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Department of Communications, Climate Change and Environment, the Marine Institute and the Environmental Protection Agency as well as a wide variety of other agencies and stakeholders.
Marine area under Ireland’s Control
The MSFD and the OSPAR Convention apply to the area of marine waters over which a Member State exercises jurisdictional rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Marine waters, as defined by the MSFD, also include the seabed and subsoil under the water column.
Ireland’s MSFD Assessment Area is approximately 490,000 square kilometres. This is equivalent to approximately seven times the land mass area. Ireland is also responsible for implementing agreed OSPAR actions in this area.
Map of the marine waters over which Ireland exercises jurisdictional rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
TOPICAL ISSUE - Marine Litter
Marine litter is a persistent problem affecting all regions of the world. The extent of the marine litter problem and the harm it causes to the environment has yet to be fully established and is subject to ongoing research. However, it is clear that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Marine litter also causes socio-economic harm, such as affecting tourism and consumer confidence in seafood.
The extent of the world’s marine litter is attributed to increased human pressures on the oceans and the failure to implement and enforce regional and international regulations and standards. Expansion in the level of economic and social activities that take place on the oceans and along coastal areas which generate waste also contribute to the problem. Where such waste finds its way into the marine environment, the effect of winds and currents mean that the impact can be noticed far from where the waste entered the water and such waste will possibly remain in the seas for centuries.
Marine litter covers any solid material which has been deliberately discarded, or unintentionally lost on beaches and on shores or at sea, including materials transported into the marine environment from land by rivers, draining or sewage systems or winds. It includes any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material. (Source: OSPAR)
It constitutes a vast and growing threat to the marine and coastal environment with negative impacts on marine fauna and potentially human health. There is a constant build-up of marine litter because much of it is made from materials that are slow to degrade naturally or do not degrade at all. The need for proper and efficient waste management is recognised internationally as an issue that must be addressed worldwide. It is well recognised that waste control measures on land works as marine litter controls also. As well as being central to sustainability generally, the Circular Economy principles of “reduce, reuse, recycle” are key to stemming the flow of marine litter into our oceans.
Acknowledging the extent of the global marine litter problem, Ireland’s attention to marine litter focuses on obligations to implement measures to address the problem in the broader context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and under the OSPAR (Oslo-Paris) Convention to protect the North Eastern Atlantic from pollution and the harmful effects of human activities.
Plastic litter
Plastic is a particular problem for the marine environment. Due to its buoyancy, it can easily be washed down rivers, blown offshore and dispersed by currents. It can also be dumped or lost directly from ships and fishing boats. As it does not biodegrade it persists in the environment in the long-term and can breakdown into secondary micro-plastic particles through erosion.
Plastics debris is one of the biggest environmental problems to be faced in the 21st century. Plastic waste can be found in all aspects of our environment, including lakes, rivers, beaches and throughout our oceans. They are transported to coasts by wind, rivers, drainage systems or human activity. Offshore sources include illegal dumping of plastic waste from ships or the accidental release of plastic resin pellets and other cargo when shipping containers are lost at sea. As a result, floating plastic fragments in the world’s oceans have been reported since the early 1970s, with the amount of debris recording an enormous increase since.
Due to the fact that plastic marine litter is a trans-boundary issue, no one country can solve the problem unilaterally. In co-operation with the EU and other North Eastern Atlantic States, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (DHPCLG) is actively involved on the international stage in developing measures to address this issue, based on the precautionary principle. The Minister recently committed to introducing legislation prohibiting the sale, importation or manufacture of ‘rinse down the drain products’ containing microbeads.
Many companies are undertaking a voluntary ban on certain products containing plastic microbeads. However, it is considered that a legislative ban is appropriate in order establish a level playing pitch in the market.
We are also supporting a Swedish Initiative for States to commit to prohibiting the use of plastic microbeads in certain products. However, it is Ireland’s view that the problem can be best addressed by a co-ordinated EU-wide prohibition
Some Other Marine Litter Initiatives (non-exhaustive):
• Funding and active support of An Taisce’s world leading Clean Coast, #twominutebeachclean, Blue and Green Flags for beaches, Green Schools Global Citizenship: Marine Environment programme and other awareness raising and citizen activation programmes. (DHCPLG)
• A representative longitudinal marine litter survey, based on OSPAR methodology, which identifies trends and issues over time (DHCPLG)
• Marine Institute Seabed litter Survey to assess the scale and scope of sea bed litter (DHCPLG)
• A Fulmar research project to assess the level of plastic in biota using fulmars as an indicative species(DHCPLG)
• UCD research to development of new low carbon plastic recycling, converting plastic waste found in the marine environment into an in-demand raw material for both high and low tech solutions (DHCPLG)
• EPA research on sources and pathways of marine litter
• Fishing for litter in association with BIM and Port and Local Authorities, to encourage green ports and reducing boat and ship sourced pollution and litter
• Sediment sampling from around Ireland’s coast to ascertain micro plastic content (DHCPLG)
• Support for marine litter clean-up initiatives and measures to educate and positively change societal attitudes and behaviours will be enhanced.
• Research commissioned to identify and evaluate legal measures and economic instruments in place throughout the EU and OSPAR regions to disincentives the use of single use items that are commonly found as beach litter (DHCPLG)
• Participation in INTEREG programmes related to OSPAR marine Litter actions to reduce the impact of Expandable Polystyrene as marine litter and to identify litter hotspots in the NE Atlantic region.