The aim of identifying 32 areas as Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) is to safeguard United Kingdom’s coastline from pollution caused by merchant shipping. All 32 places were classed as MEHRAs in order to highlight the need for mariners to exercise extra caution. These places are considered highly sensitive to environmental damage and at high risk from merchant shipping (Gledhill 2006). The 32 locations have been named as MEHRAs, the aim of classifying these areas is to emphasize their environmental importance and vulnerability. MEHRAs will be an important aid to passage planning because their main purpose is to inform ships’ masters of areas where they need to exercise more caution than usual. MEHRAs also aims to enable mariners to navigate UK waters sagely through information (Burson 2006).
South Foreland to Ramsgate
South Foreland to Ramsgate is identified as a MEHRA because of the wildlife, landscape and geology that are vulnerable to pollution. The area also has medium concentrations of vulnerable seabirds and a range of amenity/economic activities. Being classified as a MEHRA can significantly contribute to a sustainable shipping policy and management regime.
Benefits
One of the benefits of being classed as a MEHRA is the provision of the information on the sensitivity of the area. The information is aimed at the mariners and aims to aid them in route planning. Being identified as a MEHRA is expected to cause masters of ship to take extra precaution in crossing this area or clearing away from it. With the information and knowledge about the sensitivity of the area, masters of ships are expected to keep clear well or to exercise an even higher degree of care than usual. The classification as a MEHRA will also help policy makers and ship masters to identify the impact of shipping to marine wildlife and in cases where marine wildlife is adversely affected, policy makers can introduce routeing measures in order to lessen the adverse impact of marine wildlife. The combination of the MEHRA along the coast, and the routeing measures in the relevant part of the sea, will mean that the master of the ships have all the information that they need in order to make sound decision on conducting their ships in the vicinity of a MEHRA. MEHRAs are identified on the basis of a combination of environmental sensitivity and vulnerability to shipping impacts. Being a MEHRA mean that South Foreland to Ramsgate will be monitored and will be given importance as a vulnerable area. One benefit of being classed as a MEHRA is the importance that will be given to protect the area from pollution and other destructive activities. Risk assessment and management will result in programs that will protect the area. Being classed as a MEHRA will also lessen the consequences of shipping impacts as the ecological and socio-economic vulnerability are identified. Ecological vulnerability involves the analysis of the impacts of shipping to biodiversity, productivity, presence of endangered and/or unique species. Socio-economic vulnerability involves the analysis of the impacts of shipping to fisheries, tourism, marine-related employment, archeology and other cultural assets (Department for Environment, Transport and Regions 2000). MEHRA particularly focuses on informing masters of ships about the impacts of pollution to the maritime environment and the community. One of the major sources of pollution is oil spill. Oil spills according to Farmer (1997) can cause extensive environmental damage with some ecosystems being more vulnerable than others. Oil has direct toxic effects on marine organisms. In high concentrations, rapid mortality may occur. However, sublethal effects are also seen, such as the reduced growth of marine plants, physiological changes in mollusks, reduced breeding success and community changes. Oil pollution has severe consequences for bird life. Once oil becomes incorporated into birds’ feathers, the protective value of these feathers for insulation and buoyancy can be lost, removing the layer of air trapped beneath the feathers in most species. The birds are also unlikely to be able to fly. Many severely oil-covered birds will die rapidly, some drowning in the water. As with any pollution event, the effect of oil pollution on human activities, e.g. food production or tourism, is only partly due to the physical and biological processes of the pollutant action.
The purpose of MEHRAs classification is to inform the masters of ships about the impacts of shipping activities to the highest vulnerable areas and areas that are at high risks of pollution. Being identified as a MEHRA will be beneficial as the masters of the ships will be informed about the vulnerability of the area and are then expected to take precautionary measures in order to cause the least possible damage to the area.
Burdens
Identifying an area as a MEHRA is not enough to influence shipping activity. Being identified as a MEHRA is not enough to protect the area. There is a need for policy makers to develop policies and measures that will protect the said area. Being classified as a MEHRA will also not result in statutory designation. In order to protect an area classified as a MEHRA, policy makers need to propose protective measures that can be justified and approved. There is also a need at the national and regional levels that the development of a MEHRA must be strongly supported and encouraged. Identification of MEHRA, in itself is not enough. There is also a need to communicate the status of a MEHRA to the ships’ master. Integration of the MEHRA concept in the development of policy and legal framework for marine spatial planning, and ensuring compatibility with other marine activities including the development of offshore renewable energy will need further consideration. Being classified as a MEHRA is not expected to result in the introduction of protective measures. Once a MEHRA is identified, information are given to masters of ships in order to aid them in deciding on how to minimize the impacts of shipping to the MEHRA. Introduction of measures must be justified and approved.
There is uncertainties whether being classified as a MEHRA is enough to affect shipping activities. Being classified as a MEHRA for me is not enough to affect shipping activities. The overall aim of identifying an area as a MEHRA is to protect it from pollution and destruction caused by shipping activities. How then can it have significant impacts if it just serves as an information tool? There is a need to integrate MEHRA to the policy making and the creation of protective measures.
Conclusions
MEHRA Selection Process
The method of identifying MEHRAs involves the Coastal Pollution Risk assessment. The processes of Coastal Pollution Risk are the following:
1. Identification of Hazards
The process of identification of hazards involves the assembly and analysis of data on pollution from ships, specifically data relating to oil spills resulting from operational and accidental discharges.
2. Ships Routeing
The movements of the ships in the UK waters are analyzed.
3. Accident Frequency
The frequency of accidents and locations where accidents occur are analyzed. Historical data are also used in order to predict the frequency of accidents and the accident prone areas.
4. Oil Spill Frequency
In the assessment of spill frequency, the probability of oil spill and spill size is analyzed.
5. Ranking the Pollution Risk
The process of ranking pollution risk involves the ranking of all cells in UK waters based on a calculation of the amount of oil spill within each cell and the amount of oil that drifts into a coastal cell.
Environmental Sensitivity
The process of identifying environmental sensitivity of coastal cells includes the following categories:
- Wildlife designations and sites
- Vulnerability of seabirds to oil pollution at identified sites
- Fishing data
- Amenity/Economy
- Landscape, including Heritage Coastal, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Implications for the Future
The classification of MEHRAs is a very useful strategy in informing and communicating the impact of fishing in highly vulnerable areas. The aim of identifying MEHRAs is aiding policy makers and masters of ships in deciding on what measures must be taken in order to cause the least possible damage to the vulnerable areas. I believe, that although MEHRAs is helpful, it is not enough to influence changes in shipping activities. It should be incorporated in policymaking and in the drafting of protective measures. There is also a need to commit the ship masters and other stakeholder to the protection of MEHRAs.
References
Burson, S 2006, There Are No Guarantees That It, Western Mail, 32.
Department for Environment, Transport and Regions 2000, Guidelines for Environmental Risk Assessment and Management, Crown, London.
Establishment of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs), dorsetforyou.com, viewed 5 May 2008, < http://www.dorsetforyou.com/media/pdf/f/g/MEHRA’s_.p df>
Farmer, A 1997, Managing Environmental Pollution, Routledge, London.
Gledhill, V 2006, Bid to Cut Pollution Risk to Coastline, Evening Cronicle, 32.
Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) and Marine Environmentally High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) 2003, WWF & The Wildlife Trusts Joint Marine Programme, viewed 5 May 2008, <http://www.wwf.org.uk/filelibrary/pdf/jmpbriefing_0903.pdf>
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