On the 20th anniversary of the OSPAR Commission, held from 25 to 29 June 2012 in Bonn, Germany, the sixteen Contracting Parties to the 1992 OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic* agreed on several new and innovative legal measures:
- To designate and manage a 7th extensive High Seas Marine Protected Area encompassing the water column of an area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge immediately north of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone,
- To adopt protective measures for two species of seahorses (Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus guttulatus) and the eelgrass beds (Zostera) where they live, and
- To adopt a Recommendation for a Risk-based Approach to the Management of Produced Water Discharges from Offshore Installations together with supporting Guidelines.
State Secretary J?rgen Becker emphasised that OSPAR had paved the way for the definition of the ecosystem approach contributed to the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and is now responsible for a significant network of marine protected areas.
In a special 20-year anniversary speech Prof. Dr. Klaus T?pfer underlined the essential role of regional governance. He praised the collective work of the OSPAR Commission, as it achieved not only to protect species but also to conserve systems. Dr. T?pfer stated that the new challenges for the OSPAR Commission are to prevent ocean acidification, plastic particles in the sea and increased exploitation of marine resources.
Throughout these twenty years OSPAR has in particular:
- Banned dumping and incineration of wastes at sea;
- Significantly reduced the input from the land of hazardous substances and nutrients;
- Ensured discharges from nuclear power plants are the lowest recorded;
- Regulated key aspects of the offshore oil and gas industry such as decommissioning;
- Developed ecological quality objectives for a healthy ocean; and
- Comprehensively evaluated the health of the North-East Atlantic in the Quality Status Report 2010.
Note
* The OSPAR Convention entered into force on 25 March 1998. It replaces the Oslo Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft, 1972 and the Paris Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land-Based Sources, 1974. The Convention has been signed and ratified by all of the Contracting Parties to the original Oslo or Paris Conventions (Belgium, Denmark, the European Community, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and by Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Source: OSPAR Commission
For further information:
http://www.ospar.org
http://www.ospar.org/content/news_detail.asp?menu=00600725000000_000020_000000
About the author
MEPIELAN Centre
MEPIELAN Centre is an international research, training and educational centre established by Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos at the Panteion University of Athens in 2008.
Before its establishment as a University Centre, MEPIELAN operated as a successful international research, training and informational programme (2002-2007) under the scientific direction of Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos and the aegis of the Panteion University of Athens, supported by the Mediterranean Action Plan/UNEP and the Greek Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works.
MEPIELAN Centre is an accredited UNEP/MAP PARTNER (since 2013), a Member of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) (since 2016), and a Member of the Steering Committee of the MCSD (since 2019).
On 22 May 2022, MEPIELAN Centre proceeded to the development of MEPIELAN as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) for the more effective and efficient advancement of its Goals and Missions and furtherance of its activities. MEPIELAN Centre as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) is registered in Greek Law (Hellenic Business Registry, Reg. No. 16477300100) in accordance with Laws 4072/2012 & 4919/2022 as applicable
