Is the UK doing enough to protect the world’s oceans?

By Carissa Wong, PhD Cancer Immunology

Our oceans are in dire need of protection and proper management – solutions are around, but must be implemented correctly.

Healthy oceans are an essential resource and support system for life on Earth, including humans. Tools widely used by governments to protect marine life include Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), designated areas in the ocean which are used to help restore the health and integrity of biological and physical aspects of marine ecosystems, protecting them from unsustainable human activities such as overfishing.

While the area of ocean covered by MPAs has grown rapidly in the past decade, marine biodiversity is on the decline. Several researchers, led by the Marine Conservation Research Group at the University of Plymouth, recently called on the UK government to set more ambitious targets for safeguarding our oceans, as the data shows we are currently not doing enough to preserve our marine life.

Brexit has provided an opportunity to rethink the UK’s marine conservation policy. In January 2020, the government released a 25-year environment plan, a new UK Marine Strategy, a Fisheries Bill, and an Environmental Bill.

Following these, a team of marine scientists published a paper in the journal Marine Policy in which they draw on their expertise to propose four key recommendations to the government. These would help create legislation that would enable “the improvement and restoration of the environment and better outcomes for fish stocks, ecosystem health, livelihoods, human health and wellbeing”.

The first recommendation is to shift to a ‘whole-site’ approach to MPA management, which currently focuses on specific habitats or species that must be preserved, and therefore ignores how different parts within and across areas interact as one dynamic system. A whole-site approach would help to develop ecosystems that can better withstand and recover from natural and human threats in the long-term.

The UK’s Lyme Bay houses the only study involving long-term, whole-site management of a marine area which looks at both ecological and socio-economic measures. There has been a reduction in fishing pressures and an increase in biodiversity that surpasses what would have been expected if area management had focused solely on individual species or habitats of interest. Socio-economic benefits alongside thriving biodiversity in this area demonstrate the benefits of a broader approach.

The second recommendation is to bridge the gap between fisheries management and MPAs, as bountiful fish stocks rely upon healthy marine ecosystems. Commercial fishing is tightly linked to MPAs and often leads to an area being designated as one. Despite this, most UK policy on ecosystem conservation and fishery management has not been developed together.

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In 2009, a new act was introduced by the fisheries management in England and Scotland which aims to bring together fisheries and conservation; the approach aims to identify marine features which are most vulnerable to fishing pressure so that species and habitats at higher risk can be prioritised. This step in the right direction can be supported by further legislation that enables the idea of ecosystem-based fishery management to translate from theory to common practice.

Thirdly, the experimental designs of monitoring MPAs must be improved. Currently, only two MPA sites have the appropriate control areas to show how an MPA would look with zero destructive human activity. It is important that we develop more control sites to enable more accurate monitoring of MPA degradation, which will fuel improved marine conservation. We also need to prioritise research into the economic benefits of biodiversity conservation.

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Lastly, we need to look beyond MPAs and towards the entire ocean. Unprotected areas are as important as MPAs and must be considered in the move towards sustainable living. The current worldwide target is for 10 percent of the ocean to be classed under MPA status, but many experts believe this is too low and that 30 percent is required to protect biodiversity and fulfil socio-economic needs.

For the remaining 90 percent of the ocean, we need to develop new policy that helps move us towards a sustainable future on a global scale; this requires cooperation across many sectors in order to enable a healthy seascape.  By viewing MPAs as part of a wider system, rather than special areas to be prioritised at the cost of others, we can help to ensure the long-term wellness of our oceans and a sustainable future for human life.

Featured image: Epigram / Isobel O'Loughlin

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