Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will assess the potential changes in levels of marine animals and aquatic life on UK beaches and coasts as a result of climate change and a consequent effect on levels of tourism.

George Eustice

Defra has in place monitoring to inform our understanding of the conservation status of certain marine habitats and species, much of which is in response to EU legislation. We also continue to support the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership which brings together scientists, government, its agencies and NGOs to provide co-ordinated advice on climate change impacts around our coast and in our seas. Further, we have recently consulted on proposals for monitoring the state of the marine environment, including marine animals, under the provisions of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. We will be publishing our response to that consultation shortly.

Defra currently has no plans to specifically assess the impact of potential changes in populations of marine animals as a result of climate change on levels of tourism. However, where appropriate, Government impact assessments include consideration of the economic impacts of policies in the marine environment on tourism.