Marine species occurring in UK waters are protected under
various international, European and national legislative frameworks
such as the EC Habitats Directive and conventions such as the
Convention on Biological Diversity.
The
EC Habitats Directive sets out a framework of
protected sites within Europe called Natura 2000. Those animal and
plant species of community interest whose conservation requires the
designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) are listed in
Annex II, whilst
those animal and plant species of community interest in need of
strict protection are listed in Annex IV.
Marine species are also being considered for protection under
the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the
North-East Atlantic ('
OSPAR Convention'). It was opened for signature
at the Ministerial Meeting of the Oslo and Paris Commissions in
Paris on 22 September 1992. Under the OSPAR Strategy on the
Protection and Conservation of the Ecosystems and Biological
Diversity of the Maritime Area (Reference number: 1998-19), the
signatory countries of the OSPAR Convention agreed to "identify
those marine species, habitats or ecosystems that need to be
protected, conserved or restored". JNCC is currently contributing
to work within OSPAR's Biodiversity Committee to identify species
(and habitats) in need of protection. This is being undertaken
using the
Texel-Faial Criteria.
Within the UK, the
Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) is the major
legal instrument for wildlife protection , transposed into UK
legislation via the Statutory Instrument 1997 No. 226. The Act has
various parts, supplementary lists and schedules. Schedules 5 and 8
list the animal and plant species protected by this
legislation.
The use of consistent and correct species nomenclature is
important in all aspects of marine biological work, especially in
the storage of marine biological data. JNCC's work on marine
species involves using standard species checklists within its
database systems and all data entered on to these databases must
conform to this checklist before it can be accepted. The checklist
currently used by JNCC for marine species is the
UK species
list, produced by Ulster Museum/Marine Conservation Society. To
facilitate greater consistency in the use of species names across
Europe, the JNCC became involved in the
European Register of Marine Species (ERMS)
project in 1998.