DEFRA: UK Marine Bill

23 June 2006

This response to the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affair's (Defra) UK Marine Bill consultation draws on past Royal Society policy statements relevant to the marine environment.

In our response we support the proposal to integrate and simplify the UK 's marine regulatory framework and to introduce new measures for the strategic management and conservation of the marine environment. We strongly agree with the sustainable development intent of the Bill.



We encourage Defra to ensure that the principles of ecosystem management, the responsible use of science, and the precautionary and polluter-pays are applied consistently across the full range of activities covered by the Bill. Our response also addresses the issue of carbon dioxide capture and storage in sub-surface geological formations. Finally, we support the Bill's objective for "better regulation" and the reduction of the administrative and bureaucratic burden as long as it does not compromise the sustainability objectives of the Bill.

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