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OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic
Meeting of the Biodiversity Committee (BDC)
Stockholm: 23-27 February 2009
Colour printing advised
WWF comment on the draft JAMP Assessment of Sand and Gravel Extraction
Presented by WWF
This document provides additional information omitted in the draft assessment.
Background
1.Reference is made to the draft summary assessment of impacts of sand and gravel extraction as presented by Belgium with Secretariat assistance at BDC 09/6/10 including cross-reference to pertinent ICES advice such as results from WGEXT. The task manager included the caveat for data from Danish and German waters to be further checked.
2.The draft assessments pays particular attention to the environmental management of marine aggregate dredging vis-à-vis obligations arising from the ECEnvironmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Directives (97/11/EC and 92/43/EEC respectively). In the light of this, it is surprising that the compilation of permitted areas (map on page 8 of the document) does not include information from the German EEZ in the North Sea at least, including permitted extraction in an offshore Special Area of Conservation (SAC) also nominated as OSPAR MPA (Sylt Outer Reef – Eastern German Bight), as such information is publicly available from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency at
3.The Summary Record of BDC 2008 contains the following paragraph: “5.27 WWF informed BDC about a joint complaint with BirdLife to the European Commission on a sand and gravel extraction project in a Site of Community Importance in the German EEZ. WWF noted the possible implications of this ruling for sand and gravel extraction activities in the OSPAR Maritime Area.”
4. Annex 1 provides further information from official sources in public domain. WWF believes the permitted and approved extraction in the marine protected area concerned is in breach of the provisions of the Habitats Directive as well as the objectives for an OSPAR MPA. Further steps concerning a possible infringement procedure by the European Commission (following the above mentioned formal complaint) are currently pending. A summary of the complaint is available in German only (on request).
Action requested
5.BDC is invitedto agree on updating the assessment document accordingly.
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Annex 1
Map of inter alia permitted sand and gravel extraction in the North Sea section of the German EEZ according to the Continental Shelf Research Information System (CONTIS) – as presented by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency at
Area subject to complaint to the EC highlighted by red arrow.
Map of inter alia designated Special Areas for Conservation (SACs) and Special Protected Areas (SPAs) in the North Sea section of the German EEZ according to the Continental Shelf Research Information System (CONTIS) – as presented by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency at
Protected area Sylt Outer Reef – Eastern German Bight subject to complaint to the EC highlighted by red arrow. Also nominated to the OSPAR network of MPAs.
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