Blue Growth and Blue and Green Infrastructure

Transcription

1 Blue Growth and Blue and Green Infrastructure Angela Carpenter, Rebecca Shellock, Steve Fletcher and Gillian Glegg Centre for Marine and Coastal Policy Research (MarCoPol) Plymouth University

2 Blue Growth: Blue Growth is the EU long term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole. Seas and oceans are drivers for the European economy and have great potential for innovation and growth (EU Maritime Affairs)

3 Blue Growth: opportunities for marine and sustainable growth The EU s blue economy represents 5.4 million jobs and a gross added value of just under 500 billion per year. In all, 75% of Europe s external trade and 37% of trade within the EU is seaborne. Much of this activity is concentrated around Europe s coasts, although some landlocked countries are involved in the manufacture of marine equipment (Commission Communication, COM(2012) 494 final)

4 Blue Growth: individual sectors of the blue economy Source: Commission Communication, COM(2012) 494 final

5 Drivers of EU Blue Growth Strategy Rapid technological progress e.g. offshore and deep-water operations using robotics, video surveillance and submersible technology, plus biotechnology Increasing awareness of finite nature of land and freshwater resources e.g. clearing of forests and draining of wetlands, need to meet environmental targets Need to reduce greenhouse gases e.g. through the use of offshore renewable energy, seaborne transport of goods, improved energy efficiency of ships

6 Components of the EU Blue Growth Strategy To develop sectors that have high potential for sustainable jobs and growth e.g. aquaculture, coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, ocean energy, seabed mining To provide knowledge, legal certainty and security in the blue economy: e.g. marine knowledge (access to information), maritime spatial planning (for efficient and sustainable management), integrated maritime surveillance (to see what is happening) Sea basin strategies to ensure tailor-made measures and to foster cooperation between countries e.g. Atlantic Ocean, of which the FCE is a part

7 INTERREG V: INTERREG V Priority 3 focuses on: Enhancing the attractiveness of territories within the FCE area by increasing joint promotion of common green and blue infrastructures and ecosystem services (INTERREG 2014).

8 Green and Blue Infrastructure Green and blue infrastructures are a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas (marine and maritime for the blue infrastructures) with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services. (INTERREG 2014)

9 Green and Blue Infrastructure: A network of green and blue spaces that provide benefits for people, the economy and the environment (Natural England). In this context, infrastructure incorporates: Green spaces such as parks and urban forests, and wetlands in both urban and rural settings Blue spaces such as aquatic ecosystems, saltmarshes and waterways

10 Why we need green and blue infrastructure: To protect vital ecosystems, habitats and species: e.g. to prevent pollutants such as sewage or chemicals from entering rivers and the marine environment To support vital coastal and maritime industries: e.g. by increasing the number of jobs in the tourist sector, transporting more people and goods by sea To help mitigate climate change impacts: e.g. to combat flooding and coastal erosion by increased use of wind and wave energy to reduce out dependence on fossil fuels

11 Examples of potential projects: Vulnerability of the FCE areas coastal assets to climate change Constructed wetlands are: man-made wetlands which store water and act as a bio-filter for pollutants - enhance habitat diversity and nature management - do not connect to natural wetlands or aquatic environments Sally Sharrock how resilient are they? - can they be adapted to make them more resilient?

12 Examples of potential projects: Improving access to coastal paths : Constructed wetlands are: man-made wetlands which store water and act as a bio-filter for pollutants - enhance habitat diversity and nature management - do not connect to natural wetlands or aquatic environments Sally Sharrock how can we increase access without causing damage? what economic benefits can be generated to local communities?