1. Caroline Salthouse
Celtic Seas Partnership Stakeholder
Engagement Officer, NW England
North West Coastal Forum
www.celticseaspartnership.eu
Twitter/celticseas
Introducing the
Celtic Seas Partnership

2. Celtic Seas Partnership Project
• EC LIFE+ funded project, with a budget of €4 million
• Four year project: January 2013 to December 2016
• Project partnership led by WWF-UK
• Other project partners:
• University of Liverpool
• Dublin Regional Authority
• Natural Environment Research Council (British Oceanographic
Data Centre)
• SeaWeb (France)
• Follows on from successful PISCES project

3. Overall Aim:
To demonstrate successful approaches and best practice through
multi-stakeholder collaboration to guide practical implementation of
the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and
contribute to Good Environmental Status
of the Celtic Seas Marine Region.

4. Responding to ever busier seas…
• Growing number of activities and
uses
• Complex management challenges
• Multiple marine stakeholders & forums
• Multiple marine laws and policies, at
national and international level
...& evolving marine policies

5. SUSTAIN meeting,
th
Landuse
Tourism
Oil &Gas
Coastal
Defence
Ports &
Navigation
Military
Activities
Culture
Conservation
Dredging &
Disposal
Submarine
Cables
Fishing Renewable
Energy
Marine
Recreation
Mineral
Extraction
Mariculture
Source: 2004 Defra study on MSPP carried out by ABP Marine Environmental Research (ABPmer), Terence
O’Rourke, Risk & Policy Analysts, Geotek, Hartley Anderson and Coastal Management for Sustainability

6. A plethora of plans and legislation…
EMS management plans Marine Strategy Framework Directive
Water Framework Directive
Marine Plans
Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009
and Marine Policy Statement
Birds and Habitats Directives
Shellfish Directive
Coast Protection Act 1949
Flood and Water Management Act 2010
Bathing Water Directive
Shoreline Management Plans
Local ICZM Strategies
National ICZM Strategies
National Flood and Coastal Erosion
Risk Management Strategy

7. Key trans-boundary issues
• Lack of existing mechanisms for cross-boundary discussions /
information exchange for people directly involved in coastal
and marine activity
• Lack of opportunity for stakeholders to talk
to each other, governments and scientists
• Lack of opportunity for stakeholders to share
data and information

8. Marine Strategy Framework Directive
• Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for
community action in the field of marine environmental
policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive)
• Provides the environmental pillar of the EU’s Integrated
Maritime Policy
• Complements and fills gaps from the Water
Framework and other Directives (e.g. Habitats
and Birds)
• UK law: Statutory Instrument (The Marine Strategy
Regulations 2010)

9. MSFD Aim and Delivery
• Overall aim to deliver sustainable use of the seas by delivering
Good Environmental Status in all EU waters by 2020 (to protect
resources economic and social marine activity depend on)
• Requires application of the ecosystem approach to management
of human activities
• Sets out European Marine Regions based on
environmental and geographic criteria: the North
East Atlantic Ocean has 2 sub-regions:
• Greater North Sea
• Celtic Seas
• Will operate via Member State Marine Strategies
©DaveWillisMoutainsportPthotography

10. Celtic Seas Marine Region
• The Celtic Seas Marine Region is one
of the 10 MSFD sub-regions
• Includes the western seaboard of UK
and Republic of Ireland, north of
Scotland and northern France – and
the whole of the Irish Sea
• Diverse range of marine habitats and
species, wide range of maritime
industries and other uses/users

11. Ecosystem Approach
An “ecosystem-based approach” means the collective pressure of
human activities
• is kept within levels compatible with the
achievement of good environmental status
• does not compromise the capacity of
marine ecosystems to respond to
human-induced changes.

12. Good Environmental Status (GES)
• Use of the marine environment must be kept
at a sustainable level that safeguards
potential uses and activities by current and
future generations
• The structure, functions and processes of
marine ecosystems have to be fully
considered, marine species and habitats
must be protected and human-induced
decline of biodiversity prevented
©DaveWillisMoutainsportPthotography
• The overall state of the environment in marine waters provides
ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are
healthy and productive

13. How GES is defined - 1
GES is based on 11 qualitative ‘descriptors’ of the marine
environment laid out in the MSFD:
1. Biological diversity is maintained
2. Non-indigenous species don’t impact adversely
3. Fish stocks within safe biological limits –
healthy age/size distribution
4. Marine Food Web at normal abundance /
diversity
5. Human-induced eutrophication (and its effects)
are minimised

14. How GES is defined - 2
8. Contaminants are not at levels that cause
pollution effects
9. Contaminants in fish / other edibles do not
exceed levels set by EC or other standards
10. Properties and quantities of marine litter do not
cause harm to the coastal and marine
environment
11. Introduction of energy, e.g. underwater noise, is
at levels that do not adversely affect the marine
environment
6. Sea floor integrity ensures ecosystems are safeguarded
7. Permanent alteration of hydrographic conditions does not
adversely affect ecosystems

15. MSFD - GES

16. What we aim to do
Support the goal of ‘Good Environmental Status’ by 2020 by bringing
governments & marine stakeholders together to develop:
• Voluntary measures to achieve GES (e.g. noise, litter)
• Solutions for tackling trans-boundary challenges
• Solutions for co-location and managing marine conflicts
• Solutions for joint ICZM / MSFD implementation – good practice
case studies and guidelines
• A guide to integrating/harmonising engagement mechanisms and
marine data
• Proposals for a Celtic Seas Region-level Celtic Seas Partnership
that can be used as a model for other European marine regions

17. External advice to the project
Observer Board
• MSFD Government leads in each country (France, Republic of
Ireland, UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man)
• European Commission: DG Environment
• OSPAR Commission
Expert Advisory Group - experts with knowledge of:
• EU policy: MSFD, Marine Planning, Integrated Coastal Management
• Ecosystem-based management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Trans-boundary governance
• Data & information management

18. Recent and forthcoming activities
• Jul-Dec 2013 – building stakeholder engagement (meetings, etc.)
• Oct 2013 - Launch event, Liverpool (1st of 3 annual events)
 c.70 delegates developed over 80 ideas for MSFD measures
- 19 draft measures worked up in more detail
 33 case studies identified illustrating co-location and trans-
boundary challenges & possible solutions
 Survey issued after the event giving others a chance to
comment on & add to list of possible measures
• Jan 2014 – 1st Scientific Workshop, Liverpool
• 18th June 2014 - 1st England Country Workshop, Plymouth

19. Timeline: CSP & MSFD
Monitoring
Programme
Develop
Programmes
of Measures
Implement
Programmes
of Measures
Third multi-
national
workshop
Second
multi-
national
workshop
First multi-
national
workshop
Country
workshops
Country
workshops

20. How can you get involved?
The views, knowledge and experience of stakeholders will shape the
project and its outcomes as we move forward. Help us to achieve the
project aims by:
• Getting involved in workshops and consultations as the project
progresses (contact Caroline to be kept informed)
• Signing up for the e-newsletter at www.celticseaspartnerhip.eu
• Checking the website news blog
and following us on twitter
@celticseas
• And last but not least thinking
about what you do that impacts
on the marine environment and
how you might do it differently!

21. Contact
Caroline Salthouse
Stakeholder Engagement Officer, NW England
Celtic Seas Partnership
0151 934 2966
caroline.salthouse@sefton.gov.uk
www.celticseaspartnership.eu
Twitter/celticseas
Celtic Seas Partnership is an EC LIFE+ project delivered with the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of
the European Community. Project number: LIFE011 ENV/UK/000392

22. Questions?