MARINE RESERVES
Everyone's talking about... our new discussion paper "The Heat Is On: the role of marine reserves in boosting ecosystem resilience to climate change". Click on cover image to download pdf file (1MB).
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The EU context
The Commission's consultation on a new EU marine law has shown that Europeans want "biologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas that are safe, clean, healthy and productive now and in future" - a vision shared by Greenpeace. Achieving this will require significant changes to the way the EU treats its marine environment.
The loss of biological diversity was identified among the main threats to sustainable development in the EU's Strategy for Sustainable Development (Gothenburg, 2001). In the same context, a clear target was set of protecting and restoring habitats and ecosystems, and halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
The EU's 6th Environment Action Programme (Decision 1600/2002) establishes a 10-year programme for Community action on the environment, running until 2012. It requires amongst others the development of "a thematic strategy for the protection and conservation of the marine environment taking into account the terms and implementation obligations of marine conventions".
Following three years of consultation, the European Commission proposed such a draft marine law (COM(2005)505) in October 2005. The Marine Framework Directive aims to integrate marine protection and management, move away from a sector-by-sector approach, and fill a gap in the EU's otherwise land-focused environment policy. Greenpeace welcomes the publication of a legal instrument, but criticises the current draft as too weak.
Greenpeace and several marine-orientated environmental NGOs have gathered within the 'Marine Coalition' with the objective of enhancing the EU marine policy.
The European Unit of Greenpeace works within a coalition of marine-orientated environmental NGOs. The coalition brings together Greenpeace, Birdlife International, Oceana, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), WWF, Seas at Risk, the Fisheries Secretariat, the European Coastal Union and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB)and the Coastal Union.
In the past three years, the coalition has focused its work on strengthening the content of the EU's Thematic Strategy on the Marine Environment, which is a product of the EU's Sixth Environment Action Programme (6th EAP), adopted by the European Parliament and Council in 2002. In October 2005, after three years of consultation, the Commission adopted the Marine Strategy and related proposal for a new EU marine law.
Marine strategy directive
Other relevant legislation
The loss of biological diversity was identified among the main threats to sustainable development in the EU's Strategy for Sustainable Development (Gothenburg, 2001). In the same context, a clear target was set of protecting and restoring habitats and ecosystems, and halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
An oceans law for the European Union
The EU's 6th Environment Action Programme (Decision 1600/2002) establishes a 10-year programme for Community action on the environment, running until 2012. It requires amongst others the development of "a thematic strategy for the protection and conservation of the marine environment taking into account the terms and implementation obligations of marine conventions".
Following three years of consultation, the European Commission proposed such a draft marine law (COM(2005)505) in October 2005. The Marine Framework Directive aims to integrate marine protection and management, move away from a sector-by-sector approach, and fill a gap in the EU's otherwise land-focused environment policy. Greenpeace welcomes the publication of a legal instrument, but criticises the current draft as too weak.
Greenpeace and several marine-orientated environmental NGOs have gathered within the 'Marine Coalition' with the objective of enhancing the EU marine policy.
The 'Marine Coalition'
The European Unit of Greenpeace works within a coalition of marine-orientated environmental NGOs. The coalition brings together Greenpeace, Birdlife International, Oceana, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), WWF, Seas at Risk, the Fisheries Secretariat, the European Coastal Union and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB)and the Coastal Union.
In the past three years, the coalition has focused its work on strengthening the content of the EU's Thematic Strategy on the Marine Environment, which is a product of the EU's Sixth Environment Action Programme (6th EAP), adopted by the European Parliament and Council in 2002. In October 2005, after three years of consultation, the Commission adopted the Marine Strategy and related proposal for a new EU marine law.
Other relevant legislation
