Marine strategy part one: UK initial assessment and good environmental status

Publication Year

2012

Document Status

Withdrawn

Abstract

Explains how the main aim of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) for Member States to put in place measures to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in their marine waters by 2020 will be implemented in the UK. GES involves protecting the marine environment, preventing its deterioration and restoring it where practical, while using marine resources sustainably. Covers three areas: Initial Assessment of the State of the UK’s seas Cover Paper - provides an analysis of the essential features, characteristics and environmental status of UK marine waters, together with an analysis of economic and social use of UK marine waters and predominant pressures and their impacts; characteristics of GES for the UK’s seas - provide a high-level, qualitative description of what the UK marine environment will look like when GES is achieved; and GES targets and indicators of GES - build on the high-level characteristics described above, providing a more detailed, quantitative assessment framework for guiding progress towards GES.

Document History

Superseded by Marine strategy part one: UK updated assessment and good environmental status (DEFRA, 2019). Supersedes Marine strategy framework directive consultation - UK initial assessment and proposals for good environmental status; and Marine strategy framework directive consultation - UK initial assessment and proposals for good environmental status: impact assessment (both HM Government, 2012). Jointly published by DEFRA, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.

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