Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources

The next decade is going to be pivotal if we are to address the combined challenges of climate change and demographic demands on our planet. The International Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere (Sept 2019) highlights the need for profound changes in our behavior if we are to reduce the likely impacts of climate change in the marine environment. We need to understand what changes will happen in order to better manage our marine resources for the future of the next generation and to protect our marine habitats. Decision makers in Government, those involved in regulation, industry and perhaps most importantly, the public, need to have a better understanding of the value of our marine resources, not simply from a narrow economic perspective, but through understanding the wider benefits that our seas and oceans provide. Combining what we know about ecosystem services ranging from the provision of food, energy and other raw materials to leisure, wellbeing and health for example we can develop a better understanding of how these services combine and their value as natural, rather than purely financial capital. However, our decision makers will increasingly have to make judgements on complex and competing demands on our limited natural resources which will need to take into account social, economic and environmental considerations. A step change is required in the way that research informs and enables decision makers in the public and private sectors to facilitate and drive the rapid decarbonisation of our economy, adapt to climatic change and preserve critical natural capital and ecosystem service delivery. The SMMR programme funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council will help to kick start a programme of research and innovation that will bring researchers from the social, economic, environmental and public health sciences for example, together with Government, regulators, industry and the public to develop processes and tools to support decision makers. The SMMR programme will try to understand the ways that individuals and society value the seas around the UK as this has important implications for future policy, regulatory and educational needs. Social, economic and environmental information will be fused together in computer models to help us understand how decisions may affect the management of our marine resources. Ultimately the programme will provide decision makers and the wider public to explore different options and "what if" questions related to competing resource use. This shared understanding should support better decision making that helps to mitigate further degradation of our sea and helps us adapt to the inevitable challenges resulting from climate change.