An unparalleled opportunity Creating marine reserves in the UK Overseas Territories July 2012
An unparalleled opportunity Creating marine reserves in the UK Overseas Territories Who are the Pew Charitable Trusts? Why are oceans under threat? Global Ocean Legacy Why are marine reserves important? The opportunity Where we are working UK overseas territories Future priorities
Who are the Pew Charitable Trusts? Pew Charitable Trusts Public policy, environment, health and education Seven charitable funds set up by the Pew family in the USA Pew Environment Group To protect our oceans, preserve our wildlands, promote clean energy Oceans includes many campaigns including preventing illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, European fisheries programme, International waters, Protecting the Deep Sea and Global Ocean Legacy
Why are oceans under threat? Overfishing 85% of fish stocks now fully or over exploited 90% of ocean predators have disappeared over the last 50 years Over 540 million people rely on fishing for their livelihoods Over 1bn people rely on fish as their main source of protein Pollution oil spills, toxic waste, dumping, alien species Climate Change oceans absorb carbon emissions leading to ocean warming, acidification and anoxia all undermine marine resilience
Global Ocean Legacy Protecting special places in the sea Our goal To secure the establishment of a large worldwide system of fully protected marine reserves Criteria of each marine reserve At least 100,000 square km Areas of world that are exceptionally unspoiled Our approach Work with local people, governments and scientists
Why are marine reserves important? Protect relatively unspoiled areas before the threats occur Increased resilience to the impacts of climate change Act as scientific reference areas To better protect migratory species Better for ecosystem recovery than multi use areas Lower cost of enforcement and management Economic benefits for residents enhanced tourism and scientific research all while promoting conservation
The opportunity To create large no take marine reserves in UK OTs Fifth largest marine area of any country (6,793,928km2) Almost 90% of these waters are in 14 UKOTs 517 globally threatened species, more than twice those in UK Rich in biodiversity and limited commercial fishing Many have low or no human populations UK a world leader in marine conservation Less than 1% world s ocean s fully protected UK could double that on their own
Where are we working?
Where are we working? UK overseas territories
British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos)
55 islands and vast coral reefs Half the healthy reefs in the Indian Ocean 22o species of coral and more than 1000 species of reef fish April 2010 UK government designated it a marine reserve 640,000km² (247,000 mi²) an area the size of France The largest marine reserve in the world
Pitcairn Islands
836,108km² (322,823m²) more than 3 times size of UK 56 descendants of the mutineers of HMS Bounty settled in 1790 Home to over 1200 marine species Two of the most southerly coral atolls in the world 22 species of whale and dolphin No commercial fishing
First visited the island in 2011 Joint National Geographic Expedition to Pitcairn documentary to be released Islanders have approved the proposal for the marine reserve The new largest marine reserve in the world? Launch event November 2012 with National Geographic and Island Council Not yet designated
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Higher diversity of marine species than the Galapagos Islands 95 percent of the world s Antarctic fur seals Important to recovering stocks of southern right, humpback, sei and other whales Largest colony of chinstrap penguins in the world South Georgia Island is believed to have as many as 100 million seabirds South Sandwich Trench, one of the deepest parts of the ocean
No local population Commercial fishing for toothfish, mackerel icefish and krill Close 80% of the area at a cost of c. 200,000 per year Marine Protected Area designated February 2012 1,070,000km² (413,000 mi²) Visited Stanley, Falkland Islands, August 2012 Recent consultation a start, but still only 2% fully protected
Tristan da Cunha
754,720km² (291,400mi²) 3 times the size of UK Only breeding place of the Tristan albatross ( Gony ) and the atlantic yellow nosed albatross ( Molly ) 90% of the world s northern rockhopper penguins ( Pinnamins ) Home to critically endangered spectacled petrel Gough Island possibly the most important island for birds in the world
80% of world s subantarctic fur seals Important for cetaceans, including the rarely seen Shepherd s Beaked Whale Important kelp forests Visited in Nov/Dec 2012 Interesting in hearing more regarding potential benefits of establishing a large marine reserve in part of their waters Not yet designated
Bermuda
North Atlantic 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of USA in the Sargasso Sea The Sargasso Sea is a gyre Sargassum large mats of unique seaweed provide shelter, nursery, spawning and feeding habitats 36 marine species are threatened Blue Halo a fishing area surrounded by a marine reserve Not yet designated
Future priorities Marine Reserves: UK government to establish highly protected marine reserves firstly in Pitcairn and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Greater protection: UK government to enter into dialogue with all other UKOTs in relation to extending marine protections within their waters Enforcement: Establish means for monitoring and enforcement for all UKOTs Funding: Increase funding for UKOTs
Thank you Steve Cole Manager Global Ocean Legacy scole@pewtrusts.org +44 (0)20 7388 5370 ext. 2805