End users of MIDA – a government perspective Trevor Harrison Environment and Heritage Service Department of the Environ

1. End users of MIDA – a government perspective Trevor Harrison Environment and Heritage Service Department of the Environment Northern Ireland

2. Background: The Environment & Heritage Service

3. Background: Planning Service Corporate Services Local Government & Road Safety Environmental Policy Local Government RSVSD

4. Background: Built Heritage Natural Heritage Environmental Protection Water Management Unit Protecting Historic Buildings Conservation Science Conservation Designations & Protection Drinking Water Inspectorate Protecting Historic Monuments Air & Environmental Quality Recording Built Heritage Countryside & Coast Regional Operations Industrial Pollution & Radiochemical Inspectorate Biodiversity Corporate Services Waste Management & Contaminated Land

5. Drivers: International Conventions • The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) • The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention) • The Convention on Wetlands 1975 (Ramsar Convention) • The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats(Bern Convention) • The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) • The Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio Convention) • The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) • The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals(Bonn Convention) & The Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS)

6. Drivers: European Legislation • Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive) • Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive) • Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (Nitrates Directive) • Council Directive 76/160/EEC concerning the Quality of Bathing Water (Bathing Water Directive) • Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy (Water Framework Directive) • Directive establishing a Framework for Community Action in the field of Marine Environmental Policy (Marine Strategy Directive)

7. Drivers: National Legislation • The Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 • The Conservation (Nature Habitats, etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 • The Industrial Pollution Control (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 • The Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 • The Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (ASSIs) • The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 • The Protection of Water Against Agricultural Nitrate Pollution Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 • Environmentally Sensitive Areas Designation Order (Northern Ireland) 2005

8. Requirements: • To meet these obligations : • Identify and establish areas for conservation • Nature Reserves • National Parks • Marine Reserves • Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) • Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) • Special Protected Areas (SPAs) • Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)

9. Requirements: • To meet these obligations : • Identify and monitor priority habitats and species • Habitat Action Plans (NI Boidiversity Strategy) • Species Action Plans (NI Biodiversity Strategy) • Annex I Habitats (Article 11 of the Habitats Directive) • Annex II Species (Article 11 of the Habitats Directive) • Water status (Article 8 of the Water Framework Directive)

10. Requirements: • To meet these obligations: • Report findings • Government • Europe • International bodies • Educate and raise public awareness

11. Data and Information Undertaken to develop a framework for marine nature conservation The appropriate management of the marine environment is dependent on adequate information and data.

12. Data versus Information Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis; a series of observations, measurements, or facts.

13. Data versus Information Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis Data forms

14. Data versus Information Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis Spreadsheets Data forms

15. Data versus Information Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis Spreadsheets Databases Data forms

16. Data versus Information Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted.

17. Data versus Information Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted. Interpretation Data Information Data on its own has no meaning, only when interpreted by somekind of data processing system does it take on meaning andbecome information.

18. Data versus Information Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted. Interpretation Data Information Data on its own has no meaning, only when interpreted by somekind of data processing system does it take on meaning andbecome information. People or computers can find patterns in data to createinformation, and this information can be used to reason or make decisions.

19. Data and Information Managers and decision-makers often use summary information

20. Data and Information Managers and decision-makers often use summary information

21. Data and Information Summary information is often required for reporting

22. Data and Information Summary information is often required for reporting

23. Data and Information Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland • The Bathing Water Directive 76/160/EEC • Regularly test the most popular bathing waters (16 sites) • mainly bacteria

24. Data and Information Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland

25. Data and Information Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland

26. Data and Information Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland

27. Data and Information Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC)

28. Data and Information Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland The Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC Article 11 – surveillance of the conservation status of priority habitats and species (Annex I habitats and Annex II species)

29. Data and Information Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland

30. Data and Information Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland

31. Data and Information Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland • Favourable Conservation Status • Unfavourable Conservation Status

32. Northern Ireland sea grass beds Data and Information • Spatial interpretation of data. • context • perspective

33. Northern Ireland sea grass beds Data and Information • MNR • ASSI • SPA • SAC

34. Data and Information Summary information is an effective communication tool for educating the general public

35. Data and Information Users of Data and Information Data Information Universities Research Organisations Consultants NGOs Government Agencies Environmental Managers Decision-makers Public Detail Perspective

36. Issues • Issues relating to data and information: • Ownership • Quality Assurance • Auditable

37. Data and information • Some survey data were not available • inappropriate format • data owner was unable or unwilling to release it.

38. Data and information Recommendations: • a national marine information network should be established to which marine data should be contributed using agreed data standards; • all marine data collected with public funds, and environmental data collected by the private sector for the purpose of complying with a regulatory procedure, should be placed in the public domain within specified timescales;

39. Data and information • Recommendations: • • improved co-ordination of data collection and research activities needs to be achieved, and there should be a greater degree of collaboration between survey organisations; • information on the sources, availability, extent and attributes of datasets (metadata) for the marine environment needs to be easily and widely accessible.

40. Issues • Issues relating to data and information: • Ownership • Public funded data • National marine information system • Summary information • Quality Assurance • Metadata (when, where, why, how, who, standards) • Auditable • Common Standards Monitoring

41. Conclusion • Summary information is important to conservation agencies • Decision-making • Managing • Reporting • Education • Environmental atlases such as MIDA can play an important role in assisting government and conservation agencies through the production and presentation of summary information