lottery boost for the community hall in its - Charmouth

Why Do We Need Marine Planning?
Our coastal seas and inshore waters are our lifeblood.
We live on an Island; we have to trade with other nations
across the seas; we gather fish, we extract oil, sand and
gravel. We play in and under the water. In other words,
there are a bewildering number of competing uses and
resources at our disposal. They are not infinite, they are
easily damaged or destroyed and the pressures on these
resources (and the space they occupy) are intensifying.
We need an intelligent, robust (but flexible) planning system
that helps to avoid conflict and at the same time
encourages appropriate and compatible uses of our seas
and the seabed.
In the Autumn of 2009, the tortuous path of the Marine Bill
came to a successful conclusion with the introduction of the
very welcome Marine Act. The Act requires that we protect
our seas and the vision states that we develop “healthy,
well-managed seas, where wildlife can flourish and
ecosystems are protected, connected and thrive”.
Of course, this ecosystem-based management approach has
to be harmonised with the legitimate human uses of the sea,
particularly with regards to fishing, offshore construction
and aggregate extraction. Because these activities are
invariably location specific; the spatial element within
marine planning has to be a core consideration. The term
marine spatial planning (MSP) is therefore often used in the
literature.
The Government has now launched a new Marine
management organisation (MMO) to oversee the
development of a series of regional marine spatial plans
that will eventually encompass all UK waters. Some
preparatory work for these marine plans is already under
way and Dorset is in the forefront of this preparatory work.
Note also that the MMO have a number of other
responsibilities including licencing, enforcement and fishing
controls.
Here in Dorset, an exciting three-year project called C-
SCOPE is being conducted by a dedicated team based at
The Charmouth Traders association has been
relatively inactive over the summer, but we hope all
of the traders in and around the village have enjoyed
a busy time in spite of the generally disappointing
weather.
Remember that we have www.charmouth.org the CTA
website in conjunction with the Heritage Centre who have
now had their half of the site revamped and redesigned. It
really is worth a look.
Should you wish to advertise your product or service on the
site please contact the site at on info@charmouth.org or
call Ian on 01297 560 411. and remember, village
organisations and charities can have a listing at no cost
Finally a date for your diaries. Although it is still September
and just starting to feel a little autumnal, may we take this
opportunity to remind all that the CTA Christmas Fayre
will be held on Thursday 2nd of December.
Ian Simpson
Page 4
Charmouth Traders
Association
County Hall in Dorchester under the umbrella of the Dorset
Coast Forum. A number of important groups (including the
National Trust) are supporting the project work both
financially as well as in practical ways. The task is to create
a model MSP for the waters between Portland bill and
Durlston Head (Swanage) out to the 12-mile limit. They will
map and assess all the possible uses, routes, attributes of
every location and sub-location within this area of sea. Even
the seabed is being mapped (under the watchful eye of the
Dorset Wildlife Trust). All the social, environmental and
economic factors will be accounted for. Whilst this is only a
relatively small area of sea, it is hoped that the MMO will
use the final plan as a prototype for the wider plans that
they have to produce. The Government expect all UK
waters to have an effective, workable MSP by 2020.
In 2009, UNESCO issued a Marine Spatial Planning Guide
and there are a number of basic principles that have to be
adhered to when constructing a MSP:
· We must balance ecological, economic and social goals
· Any (and all) development proposals for our seas must
be shown to be sustainable in the long term
· The plans should embrace all sectors and all levels of
Government
· Plans should be place­based or area­based and take
account of the natural coast and marine processes already
at work
· Plans should be anticipatory (especially regarding
climate change possible impacts)
· Plans must involve all stakeholders in a positive and
inclusive fashion
Clearly it is important that these innovative marine plans
are based on good science and good data. For example, if
certain areas of seabed are to be protected and the marine
life there conserved, it is necessary that we know exactly
what is living there, what species are involved and their
particular vulnerabilities. So marine planning has to
accommodate and integrate any designated marine
protected areas and vulnerable species.
In conclusion, marine planning is a relatively new concept in
the formal sense and it is still evolving as a discipline.. It
should be seen as a ‘process’, a tool to assist in effective
decision-making and the best possible way to protect our
precious marine assets for generations to come.
What better aspiration could we have?....especially in such a
maritime County as Dorset.
Tony Flux
Dorset Coastal Zone Projects Manager for the National trust.
Shoreline is now available to
view online at
www.charmouth.org.
Find this, and all previous issues in
colour on the CTA’s village website!