The Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme aims to support the sustainable growth of Commonwealth Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean regions.

The Programme will provide marine data and capacity building in all in scope SIDS. Specific outputs in the second year of the programme in the Caribbean will be:

1. In St Vincent & the Grenadines work in year 1 will be expanded to provide high quality seabed habitat maps. In addition to new work in Belize, Guyana, and Jamaica.
2. Ocean acidification sensors will be installed in Dominica, providing real-time observations of coastal water acidity and temperature.
3. A solar-powered tide gauge will be installed in Belize with a satellite-linked data transmission system that will be connected to the IOC’s Tsunami Early Warning System.
4. A sustainable Fisheries programme will be developed in the Caribbean SIDS, continuing Year 1 activity to progress Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accreditation to valuable fisheries.
5. Work will continue to support future aquaculture development in the Caribbean
6. A containerised marine environmental laboratory is being manufactured to provide regional access to state of the art marine sensors and technology.
7. Regional data management training workshops will be held in both the Pacific and Caribbean, to help improve the efficiency, use and economic return on national and regional marine data collection.
8. Hydrographic Action Plans for in scope SIDS providing an analysis of scientific data and existing local capacity to manage their marine environment, and a commitment from each government to use these in national economic development planning.
9. Marine Environmental Action Plans and a commitment from each government to use these in national development planning. These plans will provide an analysis of environmental, scientific and sustainability priorities, and an assessment of the oceans management capacity of each country.

This call for evidence seeks views and information on all aspects of animal welfare in transport.

Once the UK has left the EU, we would like the welfare in transport regulatory regime to reflect scientific and veterinary knowledge. This evidence will help us determine how we’ll meet the commitment to take early steps to control the export of live farm animal for slaughter.

The Environment Agency publish permits that they issue under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

This decision includes the permit and decision document for:

• Operator name: Horsley Brook Farms Ltd
• Installation name: Tamworth Road Poultry Farm
• Permit number: EPR/HP3531YL/A001

The UK has joined a global battle to safeguard the world’s coral reefs from climate change and rising sea temperatures, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey announced today.

International work to protect these vital marine habitats is gathering momentum as coral reefs come under increasing pressure from climate change and human activity – and today the UK officially joined the Coral Reef Life Declaration, committing to safeguard coral reefs and bolster scientific research into the threats they face.

The announcement comes just one week ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where member states will gather in London to agree further global measures to protect our oceans.

From Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef, to 8,000 year-old cold-waters corals off the coast of the UK, the countries of the Commonwealth account for nearly half the world’s coral reefs – and over 250 million people across the Commonwealth depend directly on coral reefs for food and income.

Speaking from the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, where High Commissioners and members of the UK’s science community gathered today to celebrate marine science across the Commonwealth, the Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

Few people know the waters around the UK contain riches to rival the tropics – with our waters home to a vast array of cold water coral reefs that protect important marine life.

Through tapping into the UK’s world-leading marine science and working with our partners across the Commonwealth, we will help to safeguard this vital habitat and protect our oceans for future generations.

The Coral Reef Life Declaration was launched by Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Our Ocean conference in Malta in October last year to encourage countries to come together to protect coral reefs. So far 12 countries have signed the declaration, including Australia, Fiji and the Seychelles.

The UK’s waters are home to cold-water corals over 8,000 years old, with the only known coral reef in English waters protected as a Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ).

The Canyons MCZ, located off the Cornish coast, covers an area of more than 650 km2 and was designated in 2013 to protect the cold-water corals found there. There are also extensive reefs off the west coast of Scotland where there are seven Marine Protected Areas safeguarding this fragile habitat from damage.

The UK’s Overseas Territories also hold a huge array of tropical and cold water coral reefs. Through our Blue Belt programme we are currently on track to protect over four million square kilometres of ocean across the Overseas Territories by 2020, working with local communities to protect the coral species within.

This year has also been made the International Year of the Reef by the International Coral Reef Initiative – the leading organisation dedicated to protecting these habitats.

More than 20 scientists from research institutions across the UK travelled to Peru to meet their Peruvian counterparts and identify opportunities for further collaboration.

The visit’s programme, developed in the context of the Newton-Paulet Fund, will advance understanding of Peru’s receding tropical glaciers and its impact on the country’s water supply. The results of the programme are also expected to provide greater understanding about the risks of glacier melt as a natural disaster and how to create mitigation strategies against them.

The scientists participated in a joint workshop on “Peruvian Glacial Retreat and its Impact on Water Security and Resilience to Natural Hazards”, organised by CONCYTEC (Peru) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). At the workshop, they highlighted the importance of Peru’s glaciers for the international scientific community.

“Having 20 scientists from British research institutions here, with great experience in the dynamics of glaciers from different mountain regions of the world, demonstrates the importance of Peruvian glaciers to the international scientific community and the awareness of the impact of climate change” , said the President of CONCYTEC, Dr. Fabiola León-Velarde.

Colin Gray, Charge d’Affaires of the British Embassy said: “In order to tackle a variety of global challenges, such as climate change, we need scientific research to be an essential part of the solution, and we need to work on these solutions together. That is why it is great to see so many Peruvian and British researchers collaborating, learning from each other, and working together to better understand the impact of receding glaciers. This group has important contributions to make.”

As part of the programme, the British scientists travelled to see the glaciers of Huaraz and the Palcacocha lake on 21 and 22 March, together with experts of the National Institute of Glacier Research and Mountain Ecosystems (INAIGEM).

Glaciers in the Peruvian Andes provide water to surrounding communities for agriculture, human consumption, hydroelectricity, and industry. However, their surface area has reduced some 20% in the last 30 years. Many glaciers in Peru are sources of fresh water for coastal areas characterised by their arid climate and low rainfall.

On the Newton-Paulet Fund:

These activities are part of the Newton-Paulet Fund, the UK’s most important investment in Peru in science and innovation. It allows Peruvian and British scientists to work together to find solutions to challenges in economic development and social welfare through collaboration in science and innovation, in Peru and across the world.

The joint fund of US$26 million will be invested in areas such as health, specifically malnutrition and anaemia; water, including but not limited to the effects of tropical glaciers melting, and biodiversity.

On the support of the UK Space Agency:

In addition, the UK Space Agency recently announced that it will provide more than US$3.7 million to support Peru in satellite research to reduce vulnerabilities from environmental disasters, using UK expertise and cutting-edge technology. The UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme will use remote sensing data to allow for more effective monitoring of the dams, and for quicker action to be taken to avoid the tailings dams failures.

Tailing dams are earth embankments used to store toxic mine waste and effluent which can be more than 100m high. Their rate of failure is high, due to poor design regulations and less rigorous construction methods than for normal water-retaining dams.