Science and monitoring
In order for Defra to address pressing marine issues and set future priorities it is necessary undertake effective Science and Monitoring. Without these activities we cannot improve our understanding of the marine environment and our impact upon it.
How do we achieve this?
In order to satisfy Defra's policy needs we commission a number of scientific and monitoring activities and initiatives. The most recent of these are listed below.
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UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy
Safeguarding Our Seas committed the UK to an ecosystem approach to the management of the marine environment. The report Charting Progress concluded that current monitoring programmes were insufficient for this purpose. An exercise is currently underway to look at ways in which the strategy for marine monitoring within the UK might be re-shaped. - Charting Progress - an Integrated
Assessment of the State of UK Seas
This report illustrates the extent to which the seas around the UK meet the goal of being sustainable, healthy and productive. Where necessary management requirements are identified in order to achieve these goals. - Charting Progress 2 – the Second Integrated Assessment of the State of UK Seas
Efforts are currently under way to produce a second UK State of the Seas report in 2010 ensuring alignment to other key marine environmental reporting initiatives (e.g. OSPAR 2010 Quality Status Reports and the initial assessment required by 2012 under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive). - The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN)
MEDIN is a collaborative and open partnership of organisations who both use and generate marine data. For more information about MEDIN see http://www.oceannet.org/ or contact Dave Cotton (dcott@bodc.ac.uk).
Page last modified:
30 October 2008
Page published: 14
December 2007