Further Acronyms to confuse the unwary - The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) formerly the office of the Deputy Prime Minister - are assisted by the Mineral Industry Research Organisation (MIRO) who manage a minerals sector research programme on their behalf, The sustainable Land-Won & Marine Dredged Aggregate Minerals Programme (SAMP). This is funded through the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF), which contributed £3.87 million between 2204- 2007. MIRO was founded by a group of companies, some well known, such as Tarmac, Rio Tinto Zinc and Shell.
Theme A of this programme is the Impacts of Aggregate Extraction on the Marine Environment. Items of particular interest on this linked page are the seabed studies, which appear to indicate recovery from dredging within four years and the Item about Building GIS and Environmental Data Management capabilities of the Sea Fisheries Committee. This project includes a mention of Geographical Information about the no trawling areas in Filey Bay.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Marine Spatial Planning - an update
Those Marine information 'groupies' sad enough to click on the Jan 2006 Blog about Marine Spatial planning, will see that the link to information from DEFRA no longer works.
The new link is : http://www.abpmer.net/mspp/index.asp
A final report about Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is now included
The new link is : http://www.abpmer.net/mspp/index.asp
A final report about Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is now included
Proposed Marine Dredging Legislation
Marine Dredging Legislation proposed by the UK Government, will radically alter the way that dredging applications are processed. Read the extensive response by Filey Against Dredging at our site: www.filey.org.uk
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
SAC's & SPA's
Another plethora of acronyms in todays posting includes SAC's (Special Area of Conservation), and SPA's (Special Protection Area). Both of these areas can be found at Flamborough Head.
SAC's are a European Community thing which was born in 1992 when the EU decided to create lists of interesting or rare habitats and species that might need protection. The UK government legislated to support this concept in 1994 (The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994). Flamborough Head has a number of interesting species and habitats.
SPA's have a longer history and were brought into existence under EU legislation in 1979 known commonly as the 'bird directive' . They are designated areas which aim to protect wild birds and their habitats/feeding areas . Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs are deignated as an SPA.
An overview of SAC's and SPA's can be found at the JNCC Site (tomorrows acronym) at:
JNCC
Details of the Flamborough designations can be found at the :
East Yorkshire Coastal Observatory
SAC's are a European Community thing which was born in 1992 when the EU decided to create lists of interesting or rare habitats and species that might need protection. The UK government legislated to support this concept in 1994 (The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994). Flamborough Head has a number of interesting species and habitats.
SPA's have a longer history and were brought into existence under EU legislation in 1979 known commonly as the 'bird directive' . They are designated areas which aim to protect wild birds and their habitats/feeding areas . Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs are deignated as an SPA.
An overview of SAC's and SPA's can be found at the JNCC Site (tomorrows acronym) at:
JNCC
Details of the Flamborough designations can be found at the :
East Yorkshire Coastal Observatory
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
JNCC & MNCR Two for the price of One
The JNCC is the Joint Nature Conservation Committee which acts as the Government's advisor on all things Natural. In the 1980's the JNCC started a major project, mapping the underwater and marine habitats and species around our coasts. This project was known as the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR).
Many of the details of the MNCR are available on the internet including descriptions of scores of different underwater habitats (it's that biodiversity thing again).
See the link at : http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-3
Many of the details of the MNCR are available on the internet including descriptions of scores of different underwater habitats (it's that biodiversity thing again).
See the link at : http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-3
Friday, February 03, 2006
CEFAS - Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
The marine science wing of DEFRA (an acronym for another day) is sited at Lowestoft. The CEFAS site includes a reasonable search engine, try the keywords 'North Sea Plankton' and you will find an interesting report of plankton surveys on our coast.
The site is at:
http://www.cefas.co.uk/
The site is at:
http://www.cefas.co.uk/
Sunday, January 29, 2006
MSP - Marine Spatial Planning
The term Marine Spatial Planning seems to have originated at a North Sea Ministers conference in 2002 in Bergen. A definition provided by 'Seas at Risk' is: 'Marine spatial planning is the strategic planning, management and protection of the marine environment addressing the multiple, cumulative and potentially conflicting uses of the sea.' Got it now?
Our very own DEFRA (as in Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs) has a site which should you up to date at http://mspp.abpmer.co.uk/mspp/index.asp
The original ideas are at the OSPAR site. Please don't ask what that Acronym means as the site conveniently neglects to tell and I can't remember. You can log on to the OSPAR website at http://www.ospar.org
The end result of all this is that the nation's Marine Lawyers, Politicians and Marine Scientists should have plenty to do for a very long time, which is, of course a very good thing.
Our very own DEFRA (as in Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs) has a site which should you up to date at http://mspp.abpmer.co.uk/mspp/index.asp
The original ideas are at the OSPAR site. Please don't ask what that Acronym means as the site conveniently neglects to tell and I can't remember. You can log on to the OSPAR website at http://www.ospar.org
The end result of all this is that the nation's Marine Lawyers, Politicians and Marine Scientists should have plenty to do for a very long time, which is, of course a very good thing.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Acronym of the day MESH
MESH stands for Mapping European Seabed Habitats - The latest update of this site promises an interactive Web based map of North Western European seabed habitats in protype form this month. Stakeholders in the UK include English Nature, Envision, the British Geological Survey and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee
The site is at : http://www.searchmesh.net/
The site is at : http://www.searchmesh.net/
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Acronym of the Day - MARBEF
MARBEF - or the Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning EU Network of Excellence to give its full and portentous title, is another of the 'lot of stuff' marine species and habitat sites that have sprung up in the last few years.
MARBEF is very helpful in listing the researchers and bibliographies associated with current research into marine biodiversity. It also contains some geographical and biological information in connection with the Yorkshire coast that has been input by the University of Hull. These include some good descriptions of Flamborough and Filey.
Click on the link: http://www.marbef.org/index.php
MARBEF is very helpful in listing the researchers and bibliographies associated with current research into marine biodiversity. It also contains some geographical and biological information in connection with the Yorkshire coast that has been input by the University of Hull. These include some good descriptions of Flamborough and Filey.
Click on the link: http://www.marbef.org/index.php
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Daily Acronym - NBN National Biodiversity Network
NBN stands for National Biodiversity Network - This site gives a very simple , but efficient access to species lists across the UK. Everything from water voles to seaweeds and sea turtles has been recorded here.
Try clicking on the simple map squares for a real species smorgasbord, which also shows the recorders and organisations involved in updating this excellent database, which nicely complements the MARLN site.
Click on the link here at http://www.searchnbn.net/index_homepage/index.jsp
Try clicking on the simple map squares for a real species smorgasbord, which also shows the recorders and organisations involved in updating this excellent database, which nicely complements the MARLN site.
Click on the link here at http://www.searchnbn.net/index_homepage/index.jsp
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Acronym of the Day - MARLIN
Following the recent explosion of organisations with an interest in the UK Marine Environment, there has been a 'scattergun' of acronyms across the internet. Examples are legion, from ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management) to MSP (Marine Spatial Planning) and SAC (Special Area of Conservation).
Making such heavy weather of reasonably simple concepts may inhibit communication. As a retired professor friend recently said, 'biodiversity is simply a way of saying there's a lot of stuff' .
Could this plague of acronyms suggest an inability to communicate? You decide. Let's start with an excellent UK marine website known as MARLIN . The MARine Life Information Network (for Great Britain and Northern Ireland) . Browse those biotopes at:
http://www.marlin.ac.uk/
Making such heavy weather of reasonably simple concepts may inhibit communication. As a retired professor friend recently said, 'biodiversity is simply a way of saying there's a lot of stuff' .
Could this plague of acronyms suggest an inability to communicate? You decide. Let's start with an excellent UK marine website known as MARLIN . The MARine Life Information Network (for Great Britain and Northern Ireland) . Browse those biotopes at:
http://www.marlin.ac.uk/
Monday, January 16, 2006
Filey Against Dredging
Filey Against Dredging (FAD) is a group, originally set up in 1990 , to fight an application to dredge aggregate, sand and gravel from Filey Bay on the North Yorkshire Coast. The applicant wished to be granted permission from the Crown Estates to dredge material within a few hundred metres of Filey's pristine sands.
Understandably, local people were extremely worried about the situation and quickly banded together to form FAD and provide funding for an extensive scientific survey of sand and sediment resources within the Bay. Following completion of the study, the evidence was used in an appeal against the application, which was subsequently rejected; the first time for twenty years that such an application has been refused.
FAD is not a 'direct action' group, but relies on good scientific evidence to argue our case for conserving Filey Bay's beautiful marine environment. We support all marine industries which have conservation of the environment, high in their list of priorities.
There has been a flurry of recent studies and resurgence of interest in the Coastal Zone, since the turn of the Millenium. The forthcoming Marine Bill will have a major impact on the Nation's management of our Marine Heritage. We have started this blog, to provide information about studies and proposed developments that might affect our stretch of Coastline.
Understandably, local people were extremely worried about the situation and quickly banded together to form FAD and provide funding for an extensive scientific survey of sand and sediment resources within the Bay. Following completion of the study, the evidence was used in an appeal against the application, which was subsequently rejected; the first time for twenty years that such an application has been refused.
FAD is not a 'direct action' group, but relies on good scientific evidence to argue our case for conserving Filey Bay's beautiful marine environment. We support all marine industries which have conservation of the environment, high in their list of priorities.
There has been a flurry of recent studies and resurgence of interest in the Coastal Zone, since the turn of the Millenium. The forthcoming Marine Bill will have a major impact on the Nation's management of our Marine Heritage. We have started this blog, to provide information about studies and proposed developments that might affect our stretch of Coastline.
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