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The RSPB view |
August 2007
It is very unlikely that the next General Election will be decided on environmental grounds. But it is likely that what politicians say about climate change, biodiversity, pollution, overfishing, habitat destruction and a range of other environmental matters will influence their credibility and voters’ attitudes. Should someone be trusted who doesn’t believe that climate change is of major importance to us all, or who has no sense of wonder at the millions of species with which we share this planet? The political map of the UK has changed—there is a new Assembly in Northern Ireland, a new party in power in Scotland, a new balance of power in Wales and a new Prime Minister in Westminster. What hasn’t changed is that we live in an ecological world—and politicians, if they are to serve our long-term interests, must give greater weight to the state of the environment. Conservation and the environment are core issues, not side issues, and the public cares deeply about them. Birds and wildlife matter. Our million members can make us a powerful voice for nature, and nature’s voice needs to be heard! One of the most important opportunities before the next General Election for politicians to impress the electorate with their environmental credentials will be in shaping marine legislation. We need to ensure that, when we harvest the riches of the seas, we do so sustainably. The RSPB has worked on marine matters for many years—UK coasts and seas are of great international importance because of the seabirds that use them for nesting, over-wintering and feeding. Some years ago we worked closely with Conservative MP John Randall, who came very close to guiding into law a Private Member’s Bill giving greater protection to marine wildlife. Following John Randall’s lead, the current UK government has promised to bring in legislation to protect our seas and ensure wise use of their resources. We need to ensure that, when we harvest the riches of the seas, we do so sustainably. We haven’t made a great start—fisheries around the world are over-fished, often horribly so, and those around our coasts are no exception. Sustainable fisheries, sustainable mineral extraction, sustainable power generation and sustainable transport should be the aims of new marine legislation. The RSPB believes that a crucial test of sustainable development is the maintenance of biodiversity and that a healthy marine environment will continue to deliver the resources that humans need and use. Essential to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity at sea is a proper system of marine protected areas to safeguard wildlife—it is shocking that no effective system to protect marine sites exists at the moment. We are worried that, although the UK marine white paper signals that marine protected areas will be introduced, it says that site protection will depend on how little inconvenience it causes to users and industry as well as on how important the site is for wildlife. We need marine protection to be as comprehensive as on land, where sites are designated on purely scientific evidence. We call upon politicians across the UK to ensure that effective marine legislation is brought in as quickly as possible—it would be a sad irony if 50 years after securing legislation to protect wildlife on land we get marine laws designed for failure. The importance of climate change has woken up some politicians to the crucial nature of the environment in our lives. We need to ensure that this momentum is carried into all areas of politics. At heart, the climate change crisis is caused by the unreasonable and unsustainable demands we place on our planet’s natural resources. But the impacts of those demands are seen not only in climate impacts but also in wildlife losses and habitat destruction, and not only on land but at sea. Comprehensive marine legislation would be a great gift to marine wildlife. It would also set the stage for a more sustainable future for the whole of the marine ecosystem on this fragile world, the blue planet.
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Black browed albatross, West Point Island, Falklands - Grahame Madge (The RSPB)
Family Birdwatching through living room window - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Landsacpe view across lake at first light, blue clear sky, Lake Vyrnwy - RSPB Images - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)
Bird illustrations by Mike Langman (RSPB)