Scottish marine monitoring strategy must be backed, say environmental groups
Environmental groups have called on political parties to make decisions now to help safeguard the future of Scotland's marine species and habitats.
Environmental groups have called on political parties to make decisions now to help safeguard the future of Scotland's marine species and habitats.
The organisations said a fully-resourced national marine monitoring strategy in Scottish waters must be backed.
WWF Scotland, the Marine Conservation Society, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) and the six other members of Scottish Environment LINK's Marine askforce have joined together to make the call.
It comes as the Scottish Government prepares to consult on the designation of four proposed marine protected areas (MPAs) which are home to species including basking shark, minke whale and Risso's dolphin. Dr Sam Gardner, head of policy at WWF Scotland, said: Ministers have done a good job of identifying the critical marine environments needing help to recover.
However, creating MPAs on their own won't be enough to deliver the healthy seas and sustainable coastal communities we all want.
The key as always will be their implementation. That's why we're calling on all political parties to commit to a fully resourced marine monitoring strategy to ensure the good environmental condition of seas surrounding Scotland by 2020.''
Calum Duncan, head of conservation Scotland for the Marine Conservation Society, said: The Scottish Government is to be commended on designating 30 new MPAs last year, including Europe's largest, and for consulting on another four in this latest round.
Well-managed MPAs can help boost the health of habitats like northern seafan and sponge communities and burrowed muds with sea pens and anemones, and more well-known species like basking sharks, whales and dolphins.''
He said the society's scientists have played a crucial role'' in gathering evidence of species and habitats through a basking shark watch project but a monitoring strategy wasessential'' to accompany voluntary approaches.
Gemma Paterson, director of HWDT, added: Highly mobile species such as whales, dolphins and porpoises use vast swathes of Scotland's seas for feeding, breeding and other essential behaviours.|
To ensure the effective protection of these remarkable animals, a habitat-wide marine monitoring strategy is needed in Scottish waters. HWDT has carried out dedicated monitoring of whales, dolphins and porpoises throughout the Hebrides from our research vessel Silurian and via our public community sightings network since 2003.
In that time, we have learnt a lot about Scottish cetaceans, and have made this data available to inform the MPA process. It is vital at this time to implement an appropriate well-resourced marine monitoring strategy in order to properly assess the effects of new management measures, both inside and outwith MPAs, to ensure they lead to positive conservation benefits.''