Regulation of Marine Maintenance Dredging and Disposal; a UK perspective

摘要

Maintenance dredging and disposal constitutes one of the major anthropogenic perturbations to the marine environment, with considerable potential for contamination transfer. In the UK, 25 -40 million wet tonnes are licensed for disposal each year, at a range of marine disposal sites. The House of Commons' Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has reported that the current legislative and institutional framework governing this activity is fragmented and complex. This paper summarises the UK, European and international legislation relevant to dredging and disposal activities, highlighting the historic evolution and drivers. The pertinent legislation includes the 1972 London Convention(LC), its 1996 protocol (yet to be ratified by the required 26 countries), the 1992 OSPAR Convention, various EU Directives and the UK Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA) and Coast Protection Act 1949 (CPA). Clear relationships exist between LC, OSPAR and FEPA, but the regulations controlling dredging and disposal of dredged material have been complicated by subsequent EU Directives. The EU Directives have resulted from disparate drivers and are not necessarily mutually compatible. The paper also seeks to elucidate the current decision-making process leading to the provision of consents and licences within England and Wales.