Marine and coastal resources and support a large variety of activities. Managing competing interests in this context is a huge challenge, one that is compounded by the fact that marine and coastal areas are poorly defined and governance over societal, economic and environmental factors is disparate. Work needs to be done to improve the mechanisms by which marine decisions are made and this is where The Environment Council can add value.

With an ever-increasing population that is never more than 70 miles from the coast and an economy that relies heavily upon marine resources and related activity, the United Kingdom is set to see pressure on marine space grow in the near and long-term future. Developments in the transport, energy, building and leisure sectors, as well as future new initiatives such as carbon capture and storage, all have a role to play and are set to compete for marine and coastal space. Governance in the United Kingdom and European Union is changing to meet the expected challenges, and public & stakeholder Engagement will have an important role to play in this.

Only recently has designation of marine and coastal resources been made through inclusive decision-making to take into account the long-term sustainability of the environment. Practitioners across the marine sector recognise the scale of the problem and the need for a more sustainable approach. Their concerns have driven fresh thinking in sectors operating in marine and coastal spaces. People now talk about the holistic management of resources, approaches including integrated coastal management, and the need for an ecosystem approach despite continuing discussion on what this means and how it can be delivered.

Having noted a strong need for best practice engagement in marine and coastal areas, The Environment Council has been working to deliver projects that employ sustainable decision making through stakeholder and public engagement. These are listed in the right-hand menu of this page. As part of it's advocacy role, The Environment Council has been tracking and proactively engaging government policy making concerning marine and coastal interests, responding to consultations on the Marine Bill White Paper and Improvement of Access to the English Coast (.pdf coming soon).

For more information on how The Environment Council work on marine and coastal issues, please contact Tom Woolley by email or phone on 020 7632 0141.