January 2010
Severn Estuary European Marine Site Management Plan
The Association of Severn Estuary Relevant Authorities (ASERA) was formed by the Relevant Authorities on the Severn Estuary to produce a scheme for the management of the European Marine Site. Following the designation of the Severn Estuary Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in November 2009, it has become necessary to review the original Management Scheme, which dates from 2004. The Severn Estuary Partnership was contracted in July 2009 to ensure that this work is completed and all Relevant Authorities have agreed to a programme which allows them to meet their statutory duties in a cost effective way. They are currently in the process of completing their ‘Activity Proformas’ in order to identify the activities that they are undertaking which may have an impact upon the features of the SAC, Special Protection Area (SPA) and RAMSAR sites within the Severn Estuary. Once this has been completed, the nature conservation agencies will review the activities against the advice in Regulation 33 of the Habitats Directive. The outcomes of this review will provide the basis for the revised Management Scheme document and underpin future management activity in and around the estuary. For further information please contact Christine Marsh MarshC3@cardiff.ac.uk
Strategy for the Severn Report
The Strategy for the Severn Report was compiled in 2001 to provide a framework for the sustainable management of the Severn Estuary. The 160+ page document is the result of extensive participation and consultation from a wide range of organisations and individuals with an interest in the Estuary and many organisations representing the key interests on the Estuary have been involved in developing it. The purpose of the review is to ascertain the relevance and success of this document. In order to undertake this review, the 140 organisations that have all provided input and agreed to their own specific actions within the Strategy document – have been requested to provide their feedback. It is expected that a full review of this document will be completed by April 2010, and will be published by July 2010. Feedback has been received from 11% of the stakeholders; mainly the larger organisations who are likely to have the biggest impact upon the estuary. For a more comprehensive and detailed analysis to take place it is necessary for a wider range of stakeholders to be consulted upon - It is therefore planned that over the forthcoming months the stakeholders from a wider variety of sectors (heavy industries, recreational and wildlife sectors) will be contacted to provide additional feedback. For further information please contact Christine Marsh MarshC3@cardiff.ac.uk
State of the Estuary – A Call for Working Group Members
In order to manage any system, or resource, effectively there must be a robust and reasonably comprehensive source of information on which to base decisions. This is especially true in relation to large and complex systems with many variables, such as the Severn Estuary. Currently available information on the estuary though is scattered and difficult to find and, in contrast to the accepted situation, the area has been little studied in comparison to other estuary systems in the UK. Much of the information that does exist is held sectorally, or is in technical language that is difficult to understand by people working outside a particular sector. It also appears that much of the information that exists is environmental information, whereas in order to manage the Estuary in a sustainable way information on community and economic issues must also be made available. Neither is there any general acceptance of what information is needed in order to ensure effective estuary management. The location of the current data is also not easy to ascertain and is time-consuming to access.
The intention is therefore to make available via the Severn Estuary Partnership website, an easily accessible information resource on the estuary that provides a holistic picture of the area at the current time and which gives an indication of future trends. It is planned to develop the approach in such a way that the information on the State of the Severn is kept both current and relevant. The resource will be an essential baseline document, which will inform an update of the Strategy for the Severn Estuary and /or Marine Spatial Plans for the area.
In order to progress the State of the Severn Report, which is one of the key outcomes in the emerging Strategic Business Plan, it is proposed to set up a Working Group, the first meeting of which is planned for January. A number of orgnaisations have already committed themselves to joining the Group, but further representation is currently needed, especially from the industrial and recreational sectors. If you are interested in getting involved please contact the SEP manager, Jonathan Mullard at severn@cardiff.ac.uk A project brief is available but the intention is that the Working Group will both guide and develop the initiative, producing a revised brief in early spring.
Finding Sanctuary
The first meeting of the new Finding Sanctuary 'Somerset Marine Conservation Zone Group' will take place in Bridgewater on the 1st February. The meeting will be attended by a number of delegates representing key marine stakeholders and sea users including nature conservation agencies, sea angling associations and marine management organisations. Finding Sanctuary is one of four regional projects that make up the Marine Conservation Zone Project. According to Martin Syvret, Somerset Liaison Officer: "The first half of 2010 is the critical period for obtaining information about the areas that interested parties use in the South West in order that this can be taken into account when planning the new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). We would therefore strongly urge sea users to contact us or to use the on-line mapping facility www.mczmapping.org to submit their information. The website www.finding-sanctuary.org also has a list of drop-in days for sea users in the South West region." Martin Syvret can be contacted on Tel. 07966 461810 or by e-mail on martin@finding-sanctuary.org
Shoreline Management Plan Review (SMP2) – Update
The consultation on the draft Shoreline Management Plan Review (SMP2) closed on 10th January. The Severn Estuary Coastal Group (SECG) would like to thank everyone who attended the stakeholder events in November, filled in the questionnaire on-line or sent their comments in on the draft SMP2.
As part of the public consultation, the SECG contacted approximately 1,000 Stakeholders and held three public exhibitions around the Estuary during November. In total, 83 formal responses were received and 84 people attended the stakeholder events. The results will be collected and used to make changes to the draft SMP2 during February and March. Following this, the SMP2 will be present to all the local authorities and partners on the SECG (including the Environment Agency, Countryside Council for Wales and Natural England) for formal approval. An Action Plan will also be developed to help implement the policies set out in the SMP2. If you wish to make any further comments regarding the shoreline management plan review, please contact the Severn Estuary Partnership severn@cardiff.ac.uk
The final SMP2, Action Plan and supporting documents, including the results of all the consultations, will be posted on the SECG website at www.severnestuary.net/secg/review.html. All the draft documents are still available on the website.
The SECG and SEP will continue to keep you updated on the progress of the SMP2.
Beacons Young people’s Climate Change Forum
The Severn Estuary Partnership is pleased to announce its involvement in an 18 month Beacons project which aims to influence the way young people in Wales think about their role and influence in a world with a changing climate, informed by best Science.
The project involves partners from Cardiff University, IMCORE, Techniquest and the Welsh Youth Forum on Sustainable Development. The Beacons Young people’s Climate Change Forum was launch at Cardiff University on 15th of January 2010 and aims to train academics and policy makers in engagement techniques which will assist the delivery of four Welsh regional youth workshops. The focus of the workshops will be consideration of options for adaptation to climate change. The project also aims to produce a supporting education pack and website for Welsh Secondary schools and colleges, and SEP will take a key role in this. Following on from the workshops, a “young people’s climate change response” policy document will be created to inform decision makers about young people’s views on climate change adaptation.
If you would like to find out more about the project or SEP's role within it, please contact Dr Rhoda Ballinger ballingerrc@cardiff.ac.uk
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