1 research outputs found
Marine mammals and Good Environmental Status: Science, Policy and Society; Challenges and Opportunities
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive has become the key instrument for marine conservation in European seas. We review its implementation, focusing on cetacean biodiversity, using
the examples of Spain and the Regional Seas Convention, OSPAR. The MSFD has been widely criticised for legal vagueness, lack of coordination,
uncertainty about funding, and poor governance; its
future role within EU Integrated Maritime Policy
remains unclear. Nevertheless, the first stages of the
process have run broadly to schedule: current status,
environmental objectives and indicators have been
described and the design of monitoring programmes is in progress, drawing on experience with other environmental
legislation. The MSFD is now entering its
critical phase, with lack of funding for monitoring,
limited scope for management interventions, and
uncertainty about how conservation objectives will
be reconciled with the needs of other marine and
maritime sectors, being among the main concerns.
Clarity in governance, about the roles of the EU,
Member States, Regional Seas Conventions and
stakeholders, is needed to ensure success. However,
even if (as seems likely) good environmental status
cannot be achieved by 2020, significant steps will have been taken to place environmental sustainability
centre-stage in the development of Integrated Maritime
Policy for EU seas.Postprin