OSPAR
Convention • OSPAR Commission
Convention
The
1992 Convention
on the Protection of the Marine Environment of North-East Atlantic
(OSPAR) replaced the 1972 Oslo Convention (pollution by dumping)
and the 1974 Paris Convention (pollution from land-based sources).
The new OSPAR Convention entered into force in 1998, but Decisions,
Recommendations and all other agreements adopted under the other
two Conventions will continue to be applicable, unaltered in
their legal nature, unless they are terminated by new measures
adopted under the new 1992 Convention. The OSPAR Convention
requires that Contracting Parties "shall take all possible
steps to prevent and eliminate pollution and shall take the
necessary measures to protect the maritime area against the
adverse effects of human activities so as to safeguard human
health and to conserve marine ecosystems and, when practible,
restore marine areas which have been adversely affected."
The detailed provisions for controlling pollution from different
sources and protecting ecosystems and biodiversity are set out
in the five annexes to the Convention.
The
OSPAR Quality Status Report, OSPAR
QSR, published in 2000 is
the assessment by the OSPAR Commission of the environmental
quality of the North-East Atlantic. The QSR 2000 is based
on five reports (regional QSRs) prepared for the Arctic Waters,
the Greater North Sea, the Celtic Seas, the Bay of Biscay
and Iberian Coast, and the Wider Atlantic.
Commission
The OSPAR
Commission is the Executive body of the Convention. At
the 1998 Ministerial Meeting of the OSPAR Commission, the
Ministers adopted the Sintra
Statement setting out the political impetus for future
action by the Commission. It includes a section related to
the environmental impacts of shipping stating, inter alia,
that the
OSPAR countries will co-operate especially in the work of
the International Maritime Organization, to tackle threats
to the marine environment from shipping through promoting
better waste reception facilities and their more effective
use including harmonised arrangements to remove economic,
administrative or organisational incentives for ships not
to use port waste reception facilities and through measures
to eliminate marine litter.
The
Biodiversity
Committee (BDC) was established in 2000 to facilitate
the implementation of the OSPAR Strategy on the Protection
and Conservation of the Ecosystems and Biological Diversity
of the Maritime Area. The BDC carries out work formerly done
by the working group OSPAR IMPACT, including work on marine
litter in the North-east Atlantic region.
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North
Sea Conferences
The
Fifth International Conference
on the Protection of the North Sea (NSC5) was held in April
2002. Previous Conferences took place in 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993,
1995 and 1997. These Conferences are political events (Environment
Ministers) for a broad and comprehensive assessment of the measures
needed to protect the North Sea environment. The results are
recorded in the Conference Ministerial
Declarations. Matters
related to garbage/litter have been included in most of these
Declarations, including the one from NSC5. The next North Sea
Conference will be held in Sweden in 2006. |
Wadden
Sea Declaration • Wadden Sea Secretariat
The
Joint
Declaration on the Protection of the Wadden Sea was adopted
by the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark at a high-level conference
in 1982. In the Declaration, the countries declared their intention
to coordinate their activities and measures for the protection
of the Wadden Sea. Since then seven more high-level conferences
have been held (the last of which in October 2001), and the
next one is scheduled for 2005. In 2002. major parts of the
the Germanm Dutch an Danish Wadden Sea was designated as a Particularly
Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA)
in accordance with the MARPOL Convention.
The
task of the Common
Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) for the Trilateral Cooperation
on the Protection of the Wadden Sea is to support, initiate,
facilitate and coordinate the activities of the collaboration.
See, e.g., the Trilateral Wadden Sea Plan; Environmental Impact
Assessments; Monitoring and Assessments; Management, Publications;
etc.
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Rhine
Convention • ICPR
The
International
Convention for the Protection of the Rhine replaced the
1963 Bern Convention and forms the basis for the future co-operation
between the Rhine states. According to the Convention, the dumping
of garbage from shipping is prohibited.
The
targets of the International
Commission for the Protection of the Rhine, ICPR are
sustainable development of the entire Rhine ecosystem; to
guarantee the use of Rhine water for drinking water production;
the improvement of the sediment quality in order to enable
the use or disposal of dredged material without causingenvironmental
harm; overall flood prevention and environmentally sound flood
protection; improvement of the North Sea quality in accordance
with other measures aimed at the protecton of this marine
area.
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Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses
and International Lakes • UNECE
Convention:
 The
UN ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) Convention
of the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes (Water Convention) is intended to strengthen
national measures for the protection and ecologically sound
management of transboundary surface waters and groundwaters.
The Convention obliges Parties to prevent, control and reduce
water pollution from point and non-point sources. It also includes
provisions for monitoring, research and development, consultations,
warning and alarm systems, mutual assistance, institutional
arrangements, and the exchange and protection of information,
as well as public access to information. There is a Protocol
to the Convention on water
and health, and one on
civil liability.
Commission:
The primary goal of the UN
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is to encourage
greater economic cooperation among its member States. It focuses
on economic analysis, environment and human settlements, statistics,
sustainable energy, trade, industry and enterprise development,
timber and transport. UNECE activities include policy analysis,
development of conventions, regulations and standards, and
technical assistance. It has 55 member States, and over 70
international professional organizations and other non-governmental
organizations take part in UNECE activities. The UNECE provides
the Secretariat for several environmental conventions, including
the Convention of the Protection and Use of Transboundary
Watercourses and International Lakes (see more on the UNECE
Environment
and Human Settlements Division).
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Peripheral
Maritime Regions of Europe
The
membership of the Peripheral
Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR) includes 150 regions from
27 states (EU members and others), all located in one of Europe's
main sea basins. They have chosen to open up towards the international
scene and join transnational cooperation networks as a way of
strengthening their competitiveness. The Regions of the CPMR
are sub-divided into 7 geographical commissions for the Atlantic
Arc, the Balkans, ilands, the inter-Mediterranean, the Baltic
Sea, the North Sea, and the Black Sea. |
UNEP
Regional Office for Europe
UNEP's
Regional Office for Europe promotes intergovernmental policy
dialogue and regional cooperation, increases national capacity
for environmental management and response emergencies, raises
awareness and enhances information exchange, and translates
global policies into regional action. |
European
Sea Ports Organization
The
European Sea Ports
Organization (ESPO) aims at influencing public policy in
the European Union and to achieve a safe, efficient and environmentally
sustainable European port sector, operating as a key element
of a transport industry where free and undistorted market conditions
prevail, as far as practicable. According to ESPO, ports are
concerned about the environment. ESPO believes that maritime
transport is central to the issue of sustainable development
within Europe. The ports support measures to reduce marine pollution
and discourage dumping of waste at sea.
See the ESPO Waste
Management Plan For Ship Generated Waste. See also a compilation
(PDF file, 1.5 MB) of presentations and discussions at the
ESPO/IAPH
workshop on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste
and cargo residues (June 2001).
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European
Union for Coastal Conservation
In
the North Sea region, the European
Union for Coastal Conservation has national branches in
France, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Spain.
The project European Regions for a Safe and Clean Coast (ERSCC)
was designed to promote cooperation and the exchange of information
amongst Local Authorities and other interests in preventing
coastal pollution and disasters, and was carried out in 1995-1996
by the EUCC and partner organizations. In the Action plan "European
Regions for a Safe and Clean Coast", there is a special
section on Marine
litter/debris. |
Local
Authorities International Environmental Organisation (KIMO)
Local
Authorities International Environmental Organisation (Kommunenes
Internasjonale Miljöorganisation; KIMO) is an international
association of local authorities, which was formally founded
in 1990 to work towards cleaning up pollution in the North Sea.
It has over 100 members in 8 countries including the United
Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Faeroes Islands, the Netherlands,
and the Republic of Ireland, with associate members in Germany.
KIMO holds NGO status at the North Sea Ministerial Conferences;
the Committee of North Sea Senior Officials of the OSPAR Convention;
and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as part of
the WWF Delegation. KIMO's primary objective is the cleaning
up of the existing pollution in Northern Seas and coastal waters,
of preventing future pollution and of working to preserve and
enhance them and to leave them in a fit and healthy state for
the well-being of future generations. See also the EU Interreg
Save
the North Sea Project. |
Forum
Skagerrak
Forum
Skagerrak is a common initiative of the Danish, Norwegian
and Swedish regions surrounding the Skagerrak area to find solutions
to prioritized environmental problems where co-operation can
lead to effective measures. Two conferences were organized within
the framework of the first phase of the Interreg-financed Skagerrak
Forum I project (1999-2001). Two quality status resports were
presented as background documents for the second conference
in 2001. On of these — The
Skagerrak - social and economic activities and regulative framework
— includes a comprehesive review of the litter problems
in the Skagerrak region. In
the conclusions from the 2001 conference, marine litter is identified
as a priority issue for further work.
In
the second Interreg project, Forum
Skagerrak II (2003-2007), activities that concern the
issue of marine litter in the region, include "Comparison
of techniques for port reception of waste and of methods to
encourage use of port reception facilities. (I.e. optimise
implementation of new EU Directive)", and "Pilot
project to install best practice waste reception technology
at (minimum) one port in each country. Implementation of best
practice methods to encourage use of port reception facilities
in (minimum) one port in each country".
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North
Sea Commission
The
North Sea Commission
was founded in 1989 to facilitate and enhance partnerships between
regions which manage the challenges and opportunities presented
by the North Sea. The North Sea Commission has decided that
its activities must be action orientated, involving co-operation
programmes, research activities, funding applications, and joint
policy statements which bring positive benefits to the people
of the North Sea Basin. It is one of five Commissions under
the umbrella of CPMR (the Conference of Peripheral Maritime
Regions). The aim of the thematic group on environment —
NSC Environment Group (NSCEG) — is "to progress
key environmental issues, as they affect local authorities bordering
the North Sea, by co-ordinating and initiating projects involving
all members, or on a partnership basis. The NSCEG, through the
NSC Executive Committee, will attempt to influence future research
and future EU and national policies. The NSCEG will also take
steps to encourage a heightened awareness of the North Sea as
an important ecological area." Marine litter is one of
the top priority issues of the NSCEG. |
Seas at Risk
Seas
at Risk (SAR) is an independent non-governmental federation
of national and international environmental organizations concerned
with the protection and restoration of the marine environment.
SAR is campaigning to effect international political change
on issues as diverse as overfishing and fishing-related damage
to the marine environment; pollution from shipping; the harmful
effects of offshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation;
species and habitat protection; and the introduction of hazardous
substances into the marine environment. SAR
is an official observer in the North Sea Conference process;
the OSPAR Commission; and the UN IMO. News on marine issues
of concerns, and NGO acitivities, are published monthly in the
SAR
Bulletin. |
Coastwatch
Coastwatch
Europe started in 1987 in Ireland and became an international
network in 23 European countries of environmental groups, universities
and other educational establishments, who in turn work with
local groups and individuals around the coast of Europe. Common
aims of Coastwatch have been the protection and sustainable
use of our coastal resources, and informed public participation
in environmental planning and management, including Coastal
Zone Management. Annual marine litter surveys on beaches, following
a set method, have been an important part of the Coastwatch
work. See, e.g., the Harbour
Waste Management Database , an inventory of waste reception
facilities and management practise in harbours of the South
Irish Sea (an Interreg Clean Seas project). See also
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Agreements