Don't forget that tomorrow, at approximately 11.10am we are holding a 'Question Time' style event with Richard Benyon, Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries. You can watch it live at www.rspb.org.uk/marine.
People from across the UK have been submitting hard hitting questions about the Government's plans to protect our precious seas, and some of them are getting the opportunity tomorrow to pose their questions to the Minister in person. The timing of this event is particularly pertinent after the Government's recent announcement that there will be a significant delay in designating new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and even then, only a fraction of the proposed MPAs will be implemented to start off with.
Martin Harper, our Conservation Director, summed up the issue when he said: “We do not understand how Government can still claim to be delivering an ecologically-coherent network, and to be a world leader on marine protected area designation, when there is so much uncertainty around. There is no clear business plan for completing either the English Marine Conservation Zone network or designating sites of European importance, and the international 2012 deadline will be missed.”
Furthermore, we remain concerned that even when all the proposed sites are designated that there will still be gaps, particularly for species such as dolphins, basking sharks and seabirds, which are all under-represented in the current proposals.
Many of you have fought long and hard with us to get the laws in place to protect our marine environment, but the fight is not over yet. We need to keep showing the Government that our seas are important to us, and that they need to implement those laws properly and promptly. If you haven't done it yet, please sign our pledge - and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Thank you, as always, for your support
Guillemot: Anthony Griffiths