Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about the health of the ocean.
The UK is a global leader in protecting our seas, the ocean and marine life, and works with counterparts both in the UK and overseas to help achieve these aims.
Since 2019, the United Kingdom has been leading the Global Ocean Alliance of countries championing ambitious ocean action under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including the target to protect at least 30 per cent of the global ocean by 2030. The United Kingdom also serves as ocean co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People, which champions 30by30 for both the land and the ocean - Global Ocean Alliance: 30by30 initiative - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Between these alliances, over 120 countries have pledged to support the global 30by30 ocean target at the upcoming 15th Conference of Parties to the CBD in December 2022.
I am aware that nearly 8.3 per cent of the global ocean is now protected. Achieving a 30by30 target will require an international effort. The UK is leading the way, with 374 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) now protect 38 per cent of UK waters, which are all subject to planning and licensing regimes to ensure they are protected from harmful activities. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has built a comprehensive network of MPAs and are focusing on making sure they are protected properly.
Following the Benyon Review (available here: Benyon review Into Highly Protected Marine Areas: Final report - executive summary - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) into Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), the Government has been working on introducing pilot HPMAs in English waters and recently held a consultation on this. HPMAs provide the highest protection in our seas and will allow full recovery to as most natural a state as possible, as they prohibit all destructive, extractive and depositional activities within the entire site, thus enabling the ecosystem to thrive.
I would like to further assure you that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has robust systems in place to identify the impact of a range of chemicals on the environment and human health and has been working closely with regulators on a co-ordinated programme of work to better assess the presence of per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our natural environment and their sources.
The UK has its own regulatory framework through UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). As part of the UK REACH Work Programme for 2021-22, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive have been investigating the risk posed by PFAS through a Regulatory Management Options Analysis to recommend the best approach to manage any identified risks.
Further, Defra has been developing a new and ambitious Chemicals Strategy to set out the Government’s priorities, alongside actions needed to achieve safer and more environmentally sustainable management of chemicals for present and future generations. I understand that it will build on a robust statutory regime, alongside the UK’s international obligations, as well as set out a direction of travel on important policies, including on PFAS. Ministers are continuing to develop the strategic approach to chemicals management and I will continue to follow this issue closely.
Finally, the UK has also launched the Blue Planet Fund, a commitment of £500 million from the United Kingdom Aid budget to support developing countries protect and sustainably manage their marine resources, including through Marine Protected Areas.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
