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Plenary, 20 Mar 2008

20 Mar 2008 · S3 · Plenary

Item of business

Marine Environment

Harper, Robin Green Lothians Watch on SPTV

I am delighted that the marine environment is being discussed in the chamber. I will support Sarah Boyack's and Mike Rumbles's amendments, which are not mutually exclusive.

Scotland's seas have been abused and neglected for far too long, and there can be no doubt that a marine bill is overdue. However, we need to see what we and the marine environment are going to get out of it. Surely the idea is to provide a degree of protection that is consonant with the survival of our marine environment while allowing controlled use of that environment, and reducing use where appropriate.

In the face of environmental change and global warming, it is ever more urgent to get on with it. We must have a robust marine environment that can withstand the changes that it has already been identified will encroach on our waters because of climate change. There is no doubt that this is a critical time for Scotland to ensure that sustainable development is placed at the heart of how we approach our seas, and to ensure that protection of our marine environment is central. The Green party's amendment asks the Parliament to acknowledge our international obligations under the 1992 Oslo-Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-east Atlantic and the 2002 world summit on sustainable development.

The Scottish and UK Governments have international commitments to halt the loss of biodiversity and protected rare wildlife sites within the next five years—the next five years. The OSPAR convention aims to establish an ecologically coherent network—not just one or two areas—of well-managed marine protected areas by 2010. The WSSD commitment is to the establishment of marine protected areas, including representative networks, by 2012.

The Liberal Democrat amendment is quite right to raise the network of marine protected areas as an issue, but we should also acknowledge that establishing such areas is not just an additional good thing to do when we are progressing the proposed marine bill; it is part of our international obligations. The commitments represent our global obligation to the seas. The previous First Minister attended the world summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg to underline Scotland's commitment to those goals. I was there, and I tell members that he did that.

I attended the summit on behalf of the Scottish Green Party. It was clear that progress had been slow, and that the exploitation and abuse of our marine environment, whether in Scotland or other parts of the world, simply could not continue. The summit did not do as much as it could have done. In fact, after the summit, many people evinced a great deal of disquiet about the fact that the summit did not go as far as it should have done, particularly with the seas. Although some progress has been made during the past decade or so, now is the time to up the ante.

Organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have emphasised that the 2010 and 2012 deadlines are fast approaching. Given that progress in establishing European marine sites in UK waters has been desperately slow, I would like to hear from the minister exactly how he intends to meet those deadlines. He must reassure us of his commitment to the OSPAR convention and to the WSSD. In that context, however, I congratulate the minister on having at least written to Westminster about the plight of the dolphins in the Moray Firth.

In addition to the constructive work that should be done with the UK Government, Scotland has an opportunity to develop its own robust and progressive marine legislation. The convening of the sustainable seas task force will be significant in putting a framework in place. We often hear of sustainable this and sustainable that, but sustainability—dangerously—can be open to interpretation. I remind the cabinet secretary that the Parliament voted for the wording "the precautionary principle" to be included in a previous motion on the exploitation of our seas. I would like to hear a clear commitment from him that he recognises the principles of sustainable development as outlined in "Seas the Opportunity: A Strategy for the Long Term Sustainability of Scotland's Coasts and Seas". I want to hear that the Government believes that those principles still apply in the marine context. They are an important basis for the work of the sustainable seas task force.

To sum up, the Greens have long advocated the introduction of marine legislation to protect Scotland's marine environment. Our success in halting ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth was a significant part of that picture; a single coherent marine bill will be another step—the step—in the right direction. Scotland's seas are extraordinary, as the cabinet secretary said. We have some of the most precious marine wildlife. The Scottish National Party Government might face some tests of its environmental credibility—for example in protecting dolphins from oil and gas exploration in the Moray Firth—but it is safe to say that the Greens will continue to campaign for genuine protection for our marine environment. We look forward to the forthcoming legislation.

I move amendment S3M-1602.1.1, to insert after "marine protected areas":

"sufficient to meet Scotland's international obligations under the Oslo Paris Convention and World Summit on Sustainable Development".

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Plenary, 20 Mar 2008

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