Scrutiny Panel calls for stronger oversight of Marine Spatial Plan

Sunday 13 October 2024

A “robust” motoring framework should be implemented to ensure the island’s plan for protecting its marine environment is implemented properly and transparently, a Scrutiny panel has argued.

The Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel has put forward an amendment to ensure the actions of the Marine Spatial Plan are carried out effectively by current and future governments.

If approved, the amendment would require the Environment Minister to establish a framework, timeline, and tracker for monitoring the implementation of the plan.

The proposed changes aim to provide clear direction, hold the plan's environmental goals accountable, and assist all parties in decision-making.

Pictured: The draft Marine Spatial Plan was published earlier this year.

The Panel also called for a definitive timeline for research on areas still under consideration for protection under the Marine Protected Area Network — which are areas where towed fishing gear and destructive extractive processes like dredging are not permitted.

Scrutineers requested that the Environment Minister commit to decisions about including any additional areas into this zone before the end of the current term of office to provide clarity to local fishers.

The Panel said: "The current lack of certainty means that some members of the island's fishing fleet – particularly those using mobile gear – do not know how to plan their future."

The Panel believes these measures will ensure that protected area designations are not merely labels, but are backed by monitoring and enforcement.

The amendment follows a Scrutiny review of the Marine Spatial Plan, which was recently published by the government in a revised form.

The new draft included reducing the size of areas protected under the plan from 27% to 23% of Jersey's territorial waters following consultation, a move which Environment Minister Steve Luce said struck "a balance" but drew criticism from environmental groups.

Pictured: Environment Minister Steve Luce said the decision to reduce the size of the protected area was made after consultation with concerned fishers.

Environmental campaigners Save Our Shoreline Jersey, for example, argued that a regulator should be established to oversee the implementation of the plan and were concerned about a lack of accountability for the plan's various actions.

In a report accompanying the amendment, the Panel said: "The Panel's primary concern is that there is currently a lack of accountability for the various actions which make up the delivery of the MSP."

Howell Marine Consulting, an independent expert advisor to the Panel, was also quoted in the report.

The environmental consulting firm said: "The lack of a monitoring framework leads to a lack of government accountability to deliver the JMSP, and poor transparency for stakeholders."

The States Assembly will debate this amendment, along with the broader Marine Spatial Plan, on 22 October.