On december 8 and 9 the conference on Sea Change: Securing a future for Europe’s seas ” will take place in London. See the link for more information
The Ecosystem approach
The comprehensive integrated management of human activities based on best available scientific knowledge of the ecosystem and its dynamics, in order to identify and take action on influences which are critical to the health of the marine ecosystems, thereby achieving sustainble use of ecosystem goods and services and maintenance of ecosystem integrity.
Definition taken from
MEFEPO, North Sea Atlas, August 2009
MEFEPO
MEFEPO are a group of ecologists, economists, management experts and fisheries scientists that are trying to make ecoystem based fisheries management work in Europe. In recent years considerable effort has been devoted to addressing the governance, scientific, social and economic issues required to develop and introduce an ecosystem approach to European marine fisheries. MEFEPO will seek to harness and apply these efforts to real situations.
Fisheries management needs to support the ‘three pillars of sustainability’ (ecological, social and economic). One of the greates challenges of management is searching for ways of achieving these objectives simultaneously. The economic and social pillars may be considered subsidiary to the ecological pillar since the loss of an ecological resource base will mean that no social and economic benefits can be derived from the seas.
[From MEFEPO, North Sea Atlas, August 2009]
FIMPAS Project presentation – slides
For an overview of the FIMPAS project see:
Gebieden windmolenparken – kaart
Klik op onderstaande link om de kaart te vinden
gebieden windmolenparken 091029_NZWS_2009_0359_tcm195-265481
Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat – Huizinga verstrekt vier vergunningen voor windturbineparken op zee
Op 2 november 2009 heeft staatssecretaris Huizinga van Verkeer en Waterstaat opnieuw 4 definitieve vergunningen voor windturbineparken op zee verstrekt. Samen met de in september afgegeven definitieve vergunningen komt het totaal nu op 6 vergunningen. Het betreft ruim 1900 MW en tegen de 500 turbines.
De vergunningen zijn afgegeven aan RWE (windpark Tromp Binnen), Airtricity (windpark Den Helder I), E-Connection/Brown Ridge Oost BV i.o (windpark Brown Ridge Oost) en NUON (windpark Beaufort). Het ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat beoordeelde de aanvragen op een veilig, doelmatig en rendabel gebruik van de Noordzee. Hierbij wordt beoordeeld of de plannen geen onaanvaardbare negatieve effecten hebben op de veiligheid op zee, de activiteiten van andere Noordzee gebruikers en de natuur.
De definitieve vergunningen liggen van 9 november tot en met 21 december 2009 ter inzage. Tot en met 21 december 2009 kunnen belanghebbenden nog in beroep gaan tegen de vergunningen bij de rechtbank. De vergunninghouders kunnen met deze vergunningen, ongeacht eventuele beroepszaken, meedoen aan de subsidietender van het ministerie van Economische Zaken. In totaal is er voor 950 Megawatt subsidie beschikbaar. Uiterlijk in mei 2010 wordt duidelijk welke van de vergunde windparken op zee subsidie krijgen.
Naast de 4 definitieve vergunningen zijn op 2 november 3 ontwerpvergunningen afgegeven voor de windparken Q10 (Eneco), Q4 (E-Connection) en Scheveningen Buiten (Evelop). De termijn om zienswijzen op deze ontwerpvergunningen in te dienen loopt van 6 november tot en met 3 december 2009. Over deze windparken én de 3 in juli in ontwerp vergunde windparken BARD Offshore NL 1, GWS Offshore NL 1 en EP Offshore NL1 wordt voor het einde van het jaar een definitief besluit genomen. Deelname aan de subsidietender is voor deze initiatieven dan nog mogelijk.
De afgegeven vergunningen zijn het resultaat van het draaiboek dat in juni 2008 door staatssecretaris Huizinga is gepresenteerd. Hierin staat hoe tot 2010 omgegaan wordt met het verlenen van vergunningen en subsidies bij reeds ingediende initiatieven voor windturbineparken op de Noordzee. De ambitie is om nog deze kabinetsperiode vergunningen en subsidie te verlenen voor 950 MW.
Daarnaast streeft de overheid voor 2020 naar 6000 MW aan windenergie op de Noordzee. Om dit te bereiken werkt het ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat in samenwerking met de ministeries van Economische Zaken, VROM en Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit een ontwikkelingsperspectief voor de lange termijn uit voor de Noordzee. Onderdeel hiervan is het aanwijzen van gebieden op de Noordzee waar windturbineparken kunnen worden gebouwd. De vergunningaanvraag en de subsidieaanvraag worden dan gecombineerd behandeld.
Meer informatie is te vinden in een overzicht met definitieve vergunningen (JPEG-bestand, 72 kB) en een overzicht met ontwerpvergunningen (JPEG-bestand, 78 kB)
MinLNV | Gezonde visbestanden, goede boterham voor vissers
Persbericht over de visie van de Minister van LNV op de herziening van het Gemeenschappelijk Visserijbeleid (GVB)
Project Fimpas – Official Summary
Project FIMPAS
People – Nature – Fish
The project Fisheries Measures in Protected Areas (FIMPAS) started early 2009. It aims at the introduction of fisheries measures in marine protected areas in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Dutch North Sea by the end of 2011. These marine protected areas as well as the possible measures will implement the European Birds and Habitat Directives and will be established by the Dutch government.
To enhance mutual cooperation the Dutch minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality signed a private agreement with Dutch environmental NGO’s and the Dutch fishing industry in 2008. Together they decided to work towards the goal of achieving a sustainable and socially acceptable North Sea fishery industry. In their agreement parties expressed the wish to start a joint project for achieving common conservation objectives. The environmental NGO’s and the fishing industry cooperate within project FIMPAS to develop the necessary fisheries measures and thus achieve the conservation objectives in the Dutch marine protected areas of the North Sea.
Given the international dimension of fisheries and environmental protection in the North Sea project FIMPAS has a strong emphasis on international cooperation. That is why in November 2009 the Dutch minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality concluded an agreement with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) requesting ICES to organize the necessary scientific processes and give advice on the desired fisheries measures involving the relevant stakeholders in this process.
Science
The most important element of the FIMPAS project is the process of acquiring knowledge from all participants and to make it instrumental for the development of management options. For that reason much energy will be spent on finding a balance between nature conservation and fisheries so that conservation objectives will be met.
Furthermore, a scientific assessment of marine ecosystem values, their presence and location, and their threats in space and time, is crucial to identify and decide upon user conflicts. The active participation of ICES guarantees an impartial process of acquiring scientifically reliable knowledge.
An open process
The process that underlies project FIMPAS is based upon mutual trust, openness and accessibility of information and participation in order to ensure sustainable relationships between all parties. This provides the opportunity to all parties to contribute and discuss the subjects tabled during the workshops. Intensive communication and a wide circulation of scientific reports ensure the openness of the process.
International cooperation
In an international area such as the North Sea – one of the most intensively used seas of the world – cooperation between states and organizations is vital. Project FIMPAS is based upon such an international cooperation, guided by the ICES-led scientific process. Nature conservation in the North Sea is a shared responsibility of all North Sea states, so The Netherlands seek permanent cooperation between them. Close relationships will also be maintained with the North Sea Regional Advisory Council (RAC), the European Commission and other interested organisations. Support of these bodies is required to achieve the goals of the project.
Stakeholders
Project FIMPAS involves a stakeholder process in which all parties – environmental NGO’s, fisheries representatives and scientific institutions – are encouraged to participate and contribute. Participation in FIMPAS provides the opportunity to take part in discussions, to have access to documentation and to express and explain views. In doing so, participants share their knowledge and expertise for the benefit of a balanced end result.
Involvement
Collaboration between stakeholders and scientists is greatly appreciated and will be explored in three workshops:
Workshop 1: Establishing the body of data that will be input to the discussions in the next two workshops.
Date: February 22 – 24, 2010
Workshop 2: Assessing the fisheries impact on the conservation objectives of the designated sites. In this workshop the user conflicts between fisheries and nature protection will be analyzed.
Date: June, 28 – 30, 2010
Workshop 3: Consideration of management actions to meet conservation objectives. The aims of this workshop is to develop proposals for a set of management measures and to understand their socio-economic consequences
Date: January 24 – 26, 2011
The workshops will be chaired by Dr. Paul Connolly, director at the Irish Marine Research Institute.
In order to inform anyone interested in project FIMPAS a mid-term event will be organized in the Netherlands in October 2010. A three-day concluding event will be organized in June 2011.
The ICES end-advice will be used by the Dutch government as the basis for a proposal to the European Commission.
Know more ? Contact the FIMPAS people at:
The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
PO Box 20401
2500 EK THE HAGUE
THE NETHERLANDS
| c/o: Ton IJlstra
Dept. of Agrochains and Fisheries +31703785620 +31615419683 |
c/o: Hans Nieuwenhuis
Dept. of Nature Conservation, Landscape and Rural Areas +31703785641 +31638825304 |
http://www.noordzeenatura2000.nl (English version will soon be available) Twitter: @fimpas
MinLNV | Visie nieuw Europees visserijbeleid
De minister van LNV mw Gerda Verburg presenteert haar visie op het nieuwe Europese Visserijbeleid:
