The Marine and Coastal Access Act

Dear all

As you may have heard, the new Marine Bill was very recently given Royal assent and became the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act. It is a fantastic opportunity for everyone on these islands to become more familiar with the coast and the marine environment beyond.

What we now need is a strong Scottish Marine Bill
We would like to join the Marine Conservation Society in their call for action:
As the Marine (Scotland) Bill enters a crucial phase in the Scottish Parliament, please take one action to let your MSP know how important it is that the Bill delivers real protection and recovery for Scotland’s seas: click here -- there is still just time, but please hurry!

What the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act can do, in the words of TV presenter Nicholas Crane:
"[…] Since the Land Reform (Scotland) Act of 1973, the view from the Inaccessible Pinnacle has embraced the land of the free-spirited; a landscape that is not blocked with barbed wire and Keep Out signs. In Scotland, there is a statutory right of responsible access over most areas of open countryside; a right to roam over much of the country’s moorland, mountains, forests, farmlands, riverbanks and coast. The Scots have a history of enlightenment.
"Thirty-six years after the Act received Royal Assent, the Scottish countryside has not been trashed by millions of vandals wearing bobble hats. Open access has brought tourism and a greater understanding of country needs. Everything I’ve learnt about the management of deer herds and salmon – and their contribution to local economies – has been gleaned during chance encounters with gamekeepers and ghillies whose estates I can cross without trepidation. Scotland has put its people back in touch with the land. And that, as we career into an era of accelerated environmental change, can only be a good thing.
"South of the border, we’re playing catch-up, but the Marine and Coastal Access Act, which became law on Thursday, is a historic breakthrough. The creation of a continuous, coastal access zone, and the protection of our marine habitats, will help us to see that we belong to a global biosphere. Part of that imaginative leap is the rediscovery of our status as islanders, with a responsibility for our own shores and coastal waters.
[…]
"But the Marine Act is much more than a walkers’ charter. Stand on any beach or cliff-top, turn to the sea’s horizon, and you will be gazing across the most important – and least visible – habitat on earth. Half of the UK’s biodiversity lives in our coastal waters, but rising sea temperatures, acidification, bottom-trawling, overfishing, sewage, garbage and a host of ugly threats are exacting a fearful toll. In UK waters, 22 species of wildlife are facing the threat of global extinction. The Marine Conservation Society regard the new Act as “a milestone”, which they hope will lead to the creation of 73 marine conservation zones intended to protect a range of species from cold-water corals to sea horses and basking sharks. […]"
[[By Nicholas Crane, published: 7:00AM GMT 14 Nov 2009, in the Telegraph]]

For the full text and some beautiful photos, please go to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/6563864/Marine-and-Coastal-Access-Act-our-coast-is-now-a-treasure-to-share.html