The government started a consultation today (7 June 2022) to gather feedback on a sustainable approach to maritime development that would help the UK accomplish its ambitious goal of net zero emissions while also assisting the recovery of our ocean.
MNG attempts to improve the state of the marine environment by protecting, restoring, or developing environmental features that are more ecologically valuable than any losses connected with marine infrastructure projects.
As we speed offshore wind development in our efforts to build a clean, secure, and economical domestic energy supply, this will become increasingly crucial.
Planting seagrass, which stores and absorbs carbon, or removing plastics and other waste from our oceans, for example, would conserve precious marine species and habitats.
Stakeholders are being asked to express their opinions on what the “gains” might be and how they might be delivered in this consultation.
Marine net gain (MNG) will collaborate with biodiversity net gain (BNG) to guarantee that nature and biodiversity remain at the forefront of every decision-making and design, both on land and in the ocean.
The consultation will begin today and last for 12 weeks, ending on August 30, 2022. The responses will be analyzed and utilized to help build the strategy, which will include how gains could be achieved and which marine infrastructure projects are in scope.
This statement builds on the Environment Act’s commitments to provide the world’s most ambitious environmental program and accelerate action to protect nature and improve biodiversity, including a goal to halt species reduction by 2030.