September 5th, 1997
BRUSSELS, Belgium - At the conclusion of the OSPAR Convention*
meeting here, WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature today called upon the
contracting parties to strengthen the new measures aimed at reducing
and eliminating marine pollution and protecting marine wildlife. In their
current form, the measures are too weak to make any significant
difference to the health of the North East Atlantic.
Despite many North East Atlantic Governments' decisions to phase out
hazardous substances in the marine environment, (the UK for example
announced this week that it will be working to eliminate toxic
discharges), there are still four contracting parties who have not yet
ratified the Convention, the EC, France, Portugal, Luxembourg.
Despite OSPAR's ambitious targets to clean up pollution sources, large
numbers of toxic chemicals from industry and agriculture are still entering
the North East Atlantic via agricultural run-off, industrial discharges and
atmospheric deposits.
Stephan Lutter, Head of WWF's North East Atlantic Programme said:
"Despite the commitment to eliminate emissions of toxic chemicals such
as endocrine mimickers and organohalogens, the decision to phase out
these chemicals has yet again be postponed. Despite individual
countries' changing their policy, we are seriously worried about the
extremely slow progress of OSPAR in implementing existing
commitments."
Furthermore, WWF is calling upon the contracting parties to protect
marine wildlife and habitats throughout the North East Atlantic. "The
current draft provisions make a mockery of the original objectives ," said
Stephan Lutter.
Contact: Stephan Lutter + 49 171 70 15346 or Cherry Farrow at +44
1483426444.
Editors' Notes:
*OSPAR (Oslo and Paris Commissions) refers to the Convention for the
Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic agreed in
1992. The contracting parties have been meeting in Brussels since 2
September. There are delegations from the fifteen countries that border
the North East Atlantic, the EC and NGOs.
The 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the contracting parties to the 1992 OSPAR
Convention will be held in Lisbon, in July 1998 during EXPO '98.
A new Annex is being proposed on the protection of marine wildlife and
habitats for adoption in July 1998.