UK enhancing protection for world’s oceans and Antarctica

10 Nov 2009

The Government announced three measures aimed at enhancing environmental protection of the world’s oceans and the Antarctic on Tuesday 10 November.

The three measures include:

A consultation that could see the British Indian Ocean Territory become one of the world’s largest marine reserves;
A consultation on enhanced environmental protection for Antarctica; and
The designation of the world’s first ‘high seas’ marine protected area south of the South Orkney Islands.

The British Indian Ocean Territory (also known as the Chagos Archipelago) includes a quarter of a million square miles of some of the most unspoilt, natural marine areas in the world. In their near pristine state, the islands remain a vital habitat to many forms of marine life as well as an important research site for marine biologists who are working to combat global climate change.

The Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, launching a consultation on the possibility of making BIOT one of the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), said:

“This is a remarkable opportunity for Britain to create one of the world’s largest marine protected areas, and to double the global coverage of the world’s oceans that benefit from full protection. It also demonstrates this Government's commitment to protecting the global environment and halting biodiversity loss.”

Dr Charles Sheppard, BIOT Scientific Adviser said:

“Very few areas of the world’s oceans are in a condition remotely like their natural condition: Chagos is one of them, and if made a refuge for species and habitats it can provide a guide to many other conservation efforts around the world.”

The consultation asks for views on whether BIOT should become an MPA, the options around making BIOT a partial or full ‘no-take’ fishing zone, and on what other measures should be taken to protect the environment in BIOT. Responses to the consultation will form the basis of a report which will be written and presented to the Foreign Secretary who will then decide on the next steps.

The Government today also publishes a draft Antarctic bill which aims to enhance the protection of this unique and unspoilt wilderness. The bill seeks to strengthen measures to ensure that all British activities in Antarctica will be carried out with strict regard for the environment and includes additional protection for the Antarctic marine environment.

The bill would implement into UK legislation an internationally agreed framework for the recovery of costs of cleaning up any environmental damage which occurs in Antarctica. It will also enhance the safety and search and rescue requirements for expeditions to Antarctica.

Chris Bryant, FCO Minister who is leading the Antarctic consultation, said:

“The UK has been at the forefront of Antarctic science and exploration and has played a leading role in the Antarctic Treaty System, which the UK was the first to sign 50 years ago. This draft Bill implements our international commitments and provides for the continued protection of the continent into the future. It ensures that British activities in Antarctica will be carried out safely and that environmental risks are minimised.”

The South Orkneys Marine Protected Area (MPA) would be the world’s first ‘high seas’ marine protected area covering a large area of the Southern Ocean in the British Antarctic Territory, south of the South Orkney Islands. The UK proposal was successful at last week’s 25-nation Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), held in Tasmania.

The marine protected area, the result of four years of development work, is just under 94,000 square kilometers, which is more than four times the size of Wales. No fishing activities and no discharge or refuse disposal from fishing vessels will be allowed in the area, which will allow scientists to better monitor the effects of human activities and climate change on the Southern Ocean.

Welcoming the South Orkneys MPA, Chris Bryant said:

“I am delighted that the UK is leading the world in recognizing the need to protect and conserve our oceans. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources has again been able to show that it is a world leader in marine conservation. Climatic changes are having a serious effect on the Southern Ocean and it is vital that we take this first step towards the development of a network of marine protection across all of the world’s oceans.”

Drs Phil Trathan and Susie Grant from the British Antarctic Survey led on the scientific work which underpinned the proposal for the MPA. Dr Trathan said:

“The South Orkneys MPA is the first link in a network that will better conserve marine biodiversity in the Antarctic. It will help conserve important ecosystem processes, vulnerable areas, and create reference sites that can be used to make scientific comparisons between fished areas and no-take areas. Such networks will become increasingly important as climate change impacts become increasingly evident in the future.”

The BIOT and Antarctica consultations both run from 10 November 2009 until 12 February 2010.

The South Orkneys MPA will come into force in May 2010 (180 days after the adoption date).

Further information

BIOT Consultation

The British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, consists of some 55 tiny islands which sit in a quarter of a million square miles of the world’s cleanest seas.
The Chagos Islands have belonged to Britain since 1814 (The Treaty of Paris) and are constituted as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Only Diego Garcia, where there is a military base, is inhabited (by military personnel and employees).
The idea of making the British Indian Ocean Territory an MPA has the support of an impressive range of UK and international environmental organisations coming together under the auspices of the "Chagos Environment Network" to help enhance environmental protection in BIOT.
Pollutant levels in Chagos waters and marine life are exceptionally low, mostly below detection levels at 1 part per trillion using the most sensitive instrumentation available, making it an appropriate global reference baseline.
BIOT offers great scope for research in all fields of oceanography, biodiversity and many aspects of climate change. These are core research issues for UK science. Scientists also advise us that BIOT is likely to be key, both in research and geographical terms, to the repopulation of coral systems along the East Coast of Africa and hence to the recovery in marine food supply in sub-saharan Africa. BIOT waters would continue to be patrolled by the territory’s patrol vessel, which would enforce the MPA conditions.

Draft Antarctic Bill

The draft Bill will i) implement a new Annex to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty on Liability Arising from Environmental Emergencies; ii) ensure that all British activities in Antarctica have in place insurance and contingency-planning in respect of health and safety, search and rescue and medical evacuation; and iii) update provisions in the Antarctic Act 1994, including to enhance the protection of the Antarctic marine environment.
The draft Bill will ensure that all UK Antarctic operators (governmental and non-governmental) take preventative measures to reduce the risk of environmental emergencies and take prompt and effective response action should any such emergency arise. Where an operator fails to take such response action, the draft Bill will enable the recovery of costs.
The Government’s intention is that the provisions of the draft Bill which implement the new Annex to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty on Liability Arising from Environmental Emergencies would not come into force until the Annex is in force internationally. As this requires the ratification by all 28 Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties which agreed it in 2005, it is not expected to be in force for a number of years. The UK is keen, however, to be among the first to ratify the Annex, as a demonstration of our leading role in the Antarctic Treaty System.