Marine Bill campaign

CORNWALL

Marine Bill campaign

It's time to have your say and help protect our seas!

Campaigning for healthy seas

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust together with The Wildlife Trusts have launched a major national campaign to help ensure a better future for the amazing wildlife that depends on our seas for survival.

Did you know that less than 0.001% of our seas is fully protected from damaging activities such as fishing and gravel-dredging? The Government is currently working on a Marine Bill, which could bring in new laws to protect marine habitats and wildlife. Alternatively, the Marine Bill could end up helping the marine industries but doing very little to improve protection for wildlife. We need your help to convince Government to do the right thing, to ensure a healthy future for our seas.

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Bill Campaign Supporters’ Guide with background information - Word format 146kb

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust's response to the Consultation on the Marine Bill - Word format 360kb

Our marine campaigning work has two main aims:

To push Government to improve the way in which our seas are managed and protected.
To raise awareness of the UK's marine environment and provide opportunities for public participation in marine conservation projects.

But we can't do it without your help.

Less than 0.001% of our seas is fully protected from fishing, dredging, dumping and other harmful activities. At the heart of our Marine Bill Campaign is a call for the establishment of Highly Protected Marine Reserves.

Time to have your say: Marine Bill consultation opens

On 29th March 2006, the Government opened a 12-week public consultation on the Marine Bill, ending on 23rd June. The Wildlife Trusts will respond in detail to the Government's proposals but we need your help to ensure better protection for our seas. Every voice will count. This is a 'once in lifetime' opportunity to get new laws to protect marine habitats and wildlife. It's now or never.

Bottlenosed dolphin

There are three ways in which you can support the campaign:

Write a letter or email to the Government

This is one of the most powerful ways to have your say. To help you, we have written a standard letter with instructions which is available to download, plus the brief Supporters Guide telling you more about the Marine Bill Campaign.

Standard letter with instructions - Word format 35kb

Email the Government


Your email address
Subject
Your name and address:
Your message:	I am very concerned about the lack of protection offered to UK marine habitats and wildlife. It is vital that the forthcoming Marine Bill introduces a suite of Highly Protected Marine Reserves, within a wider network of Nationally Important Marine Sites. The UK's coast and seas are home to a rich variety of wildlife, from giant basking sharks to tiny corals. In recent decades, these have come under increasing pressure from fishing, sand and gravel dredging, oil and gas extraction, wind-farm construction and other uses. There is almost nowhere in our seas that has not been damaged in some way. At present, less than 0.001% of the UK's sea area is fully protected by law for nature conservation. If 0.001% of the UK's land area were all that were protected, this would amount to a single nature reserve the size of Kensington Gardens. Such neglect would be unthinkable on land and is equally inexcusable at sea. Highly Protected Marine Reserves are areas of the sea in which activities such as fishing and dredging are permanently prohibited. In these sites, the habitats and wildlife can recover to a near-natural state. Highly Protected Marine Reserves will become marine wildlife hotspots, playing a vital role in the conservation of threatened wildlife. These sites will also be important for research, helping us to understand how marine ecosystems work and the impacts of human activities. Although they are an essential part of the solution, Highly Protected Marine Reserves alone cannot ensure the recovery and sustainable use of our seas. It is important that the Marine Bill also introduces a network of Nationally Important Marine Sites. These are conservation areas in which some activities are permitted, provided that they do not have a negative impact on the habitats and wildlife. Together, the network of Highly Protected Marine Reserves and Nationally Important Marine Sites will give a much-needed boost to UK seas, helping to counter the effects of exploitation outside of the protected areas. In addition to these conservation measures, the Marine Bill must also make improvements to the planning and management of fishing and other activities, to ensure that our seas - and the industries that rely on them - have a sustainable future. I would like you to assure me that the Marine Bill will provide for the identification, designation and management of a suite of Highly Protected Marine Reserves, within a wider network of Nationally Important Marine Sites. Yours sincerely
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Display posters

Pin up copies of our marine reserves campaign posters in your workplace, library and other public areas.

Available to download in PDF format 2,222kb

Available to download in PDF format 113kb

Other pages on this web site that may be of interest:

Bycatch Analysis Report and Cetacean bycatch and Post Mortem funding cuts
Marine appeal for funding
Cornwall Wildlife Trust press release 'Time to have your say'

Other web sites that may be of interest:

Visit The Wildlife Trusts' web site for more details of the response to the launch of consultation.
Visit the DEFRA website for more information on the consultation process.