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January newsletter
As Finding Sanctuary sails boldly into 2007; and 2006 slips away quietly in our wake, it is a good time to reflect on the achievements of the past year and our goals for the next one. Outside the project there is a much more definite feel that the Marine Protected Area’s time has come in the UK, with a much more positive appreciation of their value for protecting marine biodiversity and securing livelihoods into the long term.
Finding Sanctuary now has two years of planning under its belt, and this time has been well spent in working with a number of different individuals and organisations to develop a plan that can combine both local stakeholder needs and ensure the necessary protection for marine habitats and biodiversity. Without wanting to sound too much like a self-help course, we could perhaps call this the ‘Finding Sanctuary method’. Its particular strength lies in the way it can combine the guidance of numerous individual interests with ecological and physical data followed by a further formal round of scrutiny and decision making by a balanced and representative steering group.
The next few months are a particular milestone as we start to put our plans into action. Our first priority will be to set up our regional GIS and network planning unit. With a team of three marine GIS specialists this group will focus on accessing and processing relevant data, building up the database of stakeholder guidance and working closely with the steering group to identify potential sites for protection. Alongside this we will be working towards setting up a balanced and representative steering group of stakeholder interests.
We certainly do not underestimate the importance or sensitivity of the task that lies ahead-there is a tremendous amount at stake and a careful course needs to be steered to ensure that we can work effectively with a great many people to select our network sites. Most of all this relies on the continued support of all those individuals and organisations who want to see a healthy future for the region’s marine biodiversity.
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Lundy trips
As the UK’s only statutory No Take Zone, Lundy Island has proved to be an ideal venue and backdrop with which to introduce and explain how a network of similar MPAs and Highly Protected Marine Reserves could be designed and managed. Alongside staff from English Nature and members of the Finding Sanctuary project a relatively calm crossing on the MV Oldenberg allowed the new Chairman of Natural England, Sir Martin Doughty to visit the island and see at first hand the monitoring work that is being undertaken under the leadership of Dr Miles Hoskin. A rather bumpier crossing was also organised for the Secretary of State for Biodiversity and Fisheries, Ben Bradshaw together with the new CEO of Natural England, Dr Helen Philips. The crossing luckily did not deter their enthusiasm for Lundy’s wildlife and the work that is being carried out there for marine and terrestrial conservation.
Finding Funds
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the UK’s largest Grant-giving trusts and has a particular interest in promoting conservation of the UK’s marine environment. They have made a major commitment to the Finding Sanctuary project and will be supporting our regional GIS and network planning unit over the next three years. |
New projects
A major step forward for the project will be to set up the Steering Group over the next few months. This group has a vital responsibility within the project to act as the overall decision making body for the selection of sites. The challenge is to ensure that we are able to put together a balanced and representative group of stakeholder representatives. With funding from Natural England, Dialogue Matters has just been appointed to act as a neutral facilitator and process consultant. Working closely with the project team, they will lead the organisation of a major stakeholder workshop in March and help this representative group select a Chairman and develop the terms of reference with which they will operate.
Aquariums and seashore centres across the South West are all closely involved in education and awareness work with local schoolchildren and visiting tourists. Work like this is vital in helping to build wider stewardship responsibility amongst people in the South West. Hand in hand with the planning of the regional MPA network within Finding Sanctuary is a major project to ensure that we can build on these initiatives to ensure greater understanding and a duty of care for the marine environment. This workshop will gather for the first time, professional and volunteer marine educators to identify how we can help bring a greater degree of participation in marine education activities across a wider audience. Together with the South West Wildlife Trusts, this work is being timed to help us develop a successful Heritage Lottery Foundation bid.
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Natural England
Since our last e-newsletter, English Nature has been joined together with the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service to become Natural England. This new organisation has a wider remit that not only includes the conservation of marine biodiversity, but also in helping local people to enjoy and experience their natural environment. MPAs are a key part of their Marine Campaign, one of four National drives to raise awareness on key issues.
Finding Work
Look out on our website for our latest job adverts. We will soon be recruiting for our Network Development Co-ordinator. This is a key role within the project team that will need a strong combination of skills in GIS and the marine environment.
Website expands
The Finding Sanctuary website now has some exciting new additions which begin to build up a more detailed picture of our vision and how we are going to achieve it. These new sections include more details on how MPAs work, why they are necessary and the principles behind the Finding Sanctuary project. There is also a bright and colourful section which showcases just a selection of our spectacular marine life and a page which has been designed to encourage us to think about the wider human value of the marine environment to the South West.
If you have ever googled for ‘Finding Sanctuary’, you may not have noticed that a little way down the results we are, in fact present; albeit sandwiched between sites of a more ecclesiastical nature. This has followed the publication of a book called ‘Finding Sanctuary’ by Abbot Christopher Jamison. I hope that following a gathering interest in our website we may claw our way back up the rankings.
The University of York Esmée Fairbairn Fund workshop
A grand gothic mansion in the Lake District might seem an unlikely place to be discussing MPAs. Led by two of the UK’s leading experts on MPAs, Professor Callum Roberts and Dr Julie Hawkins this workshop brought together a small gathering of people working closely with establishing MPAs in the UK. Presentations from projects around the Country from the Isle of Arran to Lundy and the Isle of Man showed the good progress that is being made. The event coincided with a hearing at the Scottish Parliament by Professor Roberts and Don Macneish from the COAST group on the Isle of Arran. The designation of a zoned area around Lamlash Bay by the Scottish Executive is a triumph of seven years of strong community action and a clear case for protecting important habitats and diminishing fish stocks.
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Quarterly quote
'On land the concept of nature reserves is widely accepted and supported, and farmers are encouraged to set aside land for wildlife benefit. Sadly, this is not so at sea, where the farming of the sea, fishing, as well as other extractive activities is permitted throughout most of our waters, including many 'protected areas'. We must provide havens for marine life, to allow natural communities to recover and thrive, not only for the sake of nature, but to ensure the long-term productivity of our once rich seas.' (Sam Fanshawe, Director, Marine Conservation Society)
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A Clearer View
Finding Sanctuary is working with a number of partners to develop a Jargon Buster for Marine Protected Areas. This work is being carried out in response to a request from the Cornwall Marine Protected Areas Working Group who highlighted the confusing number of definitions that are in use….and most of us would agree that this is something that is long overdue. We are working with creative designers to develop a clear product, however the trick will be in ensuring the definitions are clear and universally accepted.
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