Environment Agency States Sea of Concern
Posted by: Webmaster on 18-11-2005
Act now or jeopardise our seas is the warning from the Environment Agency today.
Sir John Harman, Chairman of the Environment Agency, said: "Our coasts
and seas are under pressure. Fish stocks are decreasing. Sea levels are rising
and flood risk is increasing. The climate is warming up and marine ecosystems
are changing in response.
"Already animals, such as the basking shark, which rely on small sea organisms
for food have migrated north - a recent survey of UK coastal waters found 172
out of 187 were seen in Scottish waters,” he said.
Key findings of our State of the Marine Environment report are:
- 80% of global marine pollution comes from the land and 1 in 4 coastal waters
are at risk from diffuse pollution caused by fertilisers and pesticides
- About one third of all intertidal estuaries, including half of all saltmarshes,
have been lost to land reclamation since Roman times due to pressure from
commercial development and human activities
- Over the past 40 years, warmer seas have forced some marine plants and animals
to move North towards Scandinavia, roughly the length of Britain
- The estimated costs of damage from coastal and river flooding are currently
about £1 billion a year. The flooding of coastal areas could increase
between 4 and 10 times as a result of climate change unless there is adequate
future investment in flood risk management
- Sir John Harman continued: “To meet these challenges we need to strike
a much better balance between the different uses of our coasts and seas to
protect the marine environment.
"While we have seen improvements - such as the best results ever this
year with all bathing water in Wales and 99% in England meeting EU standards
- our challenges are changing and much remains to be done.
“This is why we have produced our first Marine strategy. It sets out
how the Environment Agency can play a leading role to protect the environment
through our duties which span land and sea, and range from promoting recreation
to managing flood risk and controlling pollution,” he said.
The Environment Agency supports the Government's commitment to create a Marine
Bill so we can replace today’s piecemeal approach to management of the
seas and coast by introducing:
“However, we can’t do it alone. We can only protect our marine environment
if we work together with Governments, other regulators and coastal communities
to develop new ways of management”, Sir John Harman said.
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