IFM is baffled by the Government’s inconsistent approach to protection and local consultation on the aquatic environment. At the same time as the marine environment has gained greater protection and a greater say for local communities with the implementation of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities, involvement of local communities in the protection of the freshwater environment has received a major setback with the abolition of the Environment Agency’s statutory advisory committees. In estuaries, there is an anomalous situation where there will be public consultation about some aspects of protection of the aquatic environment, but not others. The IFM and its partner organisations are calling for a review of the decision to abolish the Environment Agency’s regional statutory advisory committees.
Local delivery of environmental improvement via ‘Big Society’-style initiatives led by charities, local communities and NGOs is attractive but there must be co-ordination and open debate about societal benefits from environmental changes. IFM believes that a muted Environment Agency is unlikely to engage adequately with local communities in this important guidance role and at present largely pays lip service to such engagement outside of the statutory committees. European law, such as the Water Framework Directive, organises management on a large scale and, without the statutory committees, the results will be disjointed and lacking in strategic direction.
The statutory committees are the only locally-based non-Government bodies able to hold the Environment Agency to account and question direction and strategies. There is a clear need for a regional advisory body to be established on the current Agency/water company boundaries. Membership should be drawn from a wide range of relevant stakeholders including conservation, fisheries, industry, academia, local authorities, professional institutes and charities. It should be able to draw upon the collated views from more local groups and be able to offer advice to the Agency on a spectrum of environmental issues. Without such a forum, both the Agency and the environment will lose out.
Dr Peter Spillett, IFM President says:
“One of the main routes to disaster for the environmental sector is the abolition of the Environment Agency’s statutory advisory committees, which have been treated like a sacrificial lamb by the Government just to save small sums of money. The Regional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreation Committees (RFERACs) and the Regional Environmental Protection Advisory Committees (REPACs) were axed, but not the Regional Flood Defence Committees – not a surprise as the flooding and landowner sectors undoubtedly were able to summon more political clout than the environmentalists. The Government must acknowledge that, like their decision to sell off our forests, they have got this wrong and should make a rapid u-turn on this policy.”
