Marine Reserves Petition

gus horsley

New member
In 2005 the government promised to designate large areas of our coasts Marine Reserves in order to protect the wildlife there.  To date there are three small ones:  Lundy, Skomer and Rathlin Island, which represent less than 0.01% of our coast. 

Now we've got a new Prime Minister.  All the various wildlife organisations are therefore pressing him to make good the promises made a couple of years back and the Wildlife Trusts have put together the following petition:

www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=environment:marine:reservespetition

If you agree with this it would only take a minute or two to put your name to it.

Thanks

Gus
 

Hughie

Active member
Nah - couldn't do it. Found the website to be vague and non-informative.

My experience of these things is as follows:-

Somewhere some people (who don't live/work in the area) want to preserve.
Preservation order or some such (SSSI).
Bureaucratic, inexperienced non-entities take charge.
Eventually plans to "turn the clock back" - to something that never was.
Result = complete f*** up.
Bureacratic inexperienced non-entities piss off to screw up something else, somewhere else.

Apologies for the cynicism, and the generalisation.         
 

Peter Burgess

New member
I am still waiting for fruition of the promise/threat in 2000 to make the South Downs AONB a National Park.

I signed this petition because I support the PRINCIPLE of the protection of marine reserves, which is what Gus asked for, isn't it? I am aware that the Lundy scheme has had very beneficial results.

 
D

darkplaces

Guest
Hughie said:
Nah - couldn't do it. Found the website to be vague and non-informative.

My experience of these things is as follows:-

Somewhere some people (who don't live/work in the area) want to preserve.
Preservation order or some such (SSSI).
Bureaucratic, inexperienced non-entities take charge.
Eventually plans to "turn the clock back" - to something that never was.
Result = complete f*** up.
Bureacratic inexperienced non-entities piss off to screw up something else, somewhere else.

Apologies for the cynicism, and the generalisation.         
I think your right. AWT That looks after the area of Browns folly is clearly incompetent, all I have seen is damage originating from action of the AWT. These 'trusts' are normally run by do-gooders with single issue objectives. No big picture and common use planned for. I resisted posting earlier. All we want is for these places to be left alone, not touched not managed!
 

Elaine

Active member
I agree with Hugh. (no bias - honest!)

Living and working in the countryside means we experience various environmental schemes. Some of which turn out to be decidely hair-brained. Usually they are a thinly disguised cost cutting exercise.
This one in principle looks like it should be a good thing. However, there is far too little information on what exactly these Marine Reserves will mean, and my previous experience has left me most mistrustful.
 

martinr

Active member
Anne said:
there is far too little information on what exactly these Marine Reserves will mean

A legal duty to care for the marine environment

Better protection for marine species and habitats, including through designation of nationally important marine sites

Reform of the legislation governing the management of coastal and inshore fisheries to allow for and encourage more sustainable fishing practices

An effective planning system for the sea to properly manage activities in the marine environment 

Improved enforcement of marine legislation

http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/marine/legislation/law.asp
 

Hughie

Active member
martinr said:
Anne said:
there is far too little information on what exactly these Marine Reserves will mean

A legal duty to care for the marine environment

Better protection for marine species and habitats, including through designation of nationally important marine sites

Reform of the legislation governing the management of coastal and inshore fisheries to allow for and encourage more sustainable fishing practices

An effective planning system for the sea to properly manage activities in the marine environment 

Improved enforcement of marine legislation

http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/marine/legislation/law.asp

Still thoroughly unconvinced. Still vague.
I'll attempt to read the above link thoroughly though.

RSPB are leading the way in no-brainer ideas around here. Sorry - just personal experience from 20 odd years.
 

martinr

Active member
Hughie said:
Still vague.

Wasn't meant to be a comprehensive answer, merely a pointer. I dont know what these Marine Reserves will mean either, so I guess we will both be be visiting the same websites to find out more!

 

Elaine

Active member
I don't mean to knock this scheme, it may be a really good idea. It is just that we hear promises like ' ..to preserve and protect the natural ecosystem...' which translates as 'we are not going to dredge the rhynes anymore' which in turn results in a much reduced flow capacity and more flooding further upstream. Thereby destroying other natural ecosystems!
 

graham

New member
Anne said:
I don't mean to knock this scheme, it may be a really good idea. It is just that we hear promises like ' ..to preserve and protect the natural ecosystem...' which translates as 'we are not going to dredge the rhynes anymore' which in turn results in a much reduced flow capacity and more flooding further upstream. Thereby destroying other natural ecosystems!

It is about time that these guys realised that there has not been a wholly natural ecosystem in the majority of the British Isles since the Neolithic. What they should be doing is defining in some detail what aspects of an ecosystem they wish to conserve and setting out the steps that they intend to take to meet that objective.
 

pete h

New member
Anne said:
I agree with Hugh. (no bias - honest!)

Living and working in the countryside means we experience various environmental schemes. Some of which turn out to be decidely hair-brained. Usually they are a thinly disguised cost cutting exercise.
This one in principle looks like it should be a good thing. However, there is far too little information on what exactly these Marine Reserves will mean, and my previous experience has left me most mistrustful.
Most of these schemes are thought up by people in citys with a degree and dont know what a live cow looks like, but like to play with the countryside.
Remember if they dont keep coming up with the daft schemes they wont have a job.
 

graham

New member
Aye, but people who know what live cows look like don't always know what's going on around them.

Take TB transmission for one.
 

Hughie

Active member
graham said:
Aye, but people who know what live cows look like don't always know what's going on around them.

Take TB transmission for one.

Care to elaborate, Graham?
 
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