Thomson Ecology sponsored the Coastal Futures 2014 Conference, which took place at the University of London on the 22nd and 23rd January.
The conference presented and discussed a wide array of topics including marine planning, conservation and management.
Daniel Bastreri, Principal Marine Consultant at Thomson Ecology, chaired the second session, which focused on marine management and licensing, and assessing the environmental impacts of offshore renewable energy projects.
The main areas of discussion were in relation to the tremendous challenges posed by often conflicting uses of the marine environment, how to integrate coastal and economic development with marine conservation and the maintenance of ecosystem services. The ecosystem approach and the necessary and welcome evolution of marine planning and licensing were also much debated topics.
There are indications that the regulators in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are seeking to improve on the current requirements and methodologies. We will remain abreast of change and new methods, and will be applying new and up to date tools to deliver better services to our clients, based on current understanding of licensing requirements in the marine environment and marine ecology. These changes may involve significant savings for marine licence holders and improved marine protection.
We welcome enquiries on how we can improve your monitoring programme requirements while achieving efficiency and reducing costs.
