Photo: Our new boat "Pelerin" nears completion
The “quiet time” spanning Christmas and New Year are supposed to be days of enjoyment and relaxation, allowing work-weary souls to spend quality time with friends and family. However, time in the Wave Action camp has been industrious to the last, as ongoing projects are wrapped up and new work planned. It’s at times like these that you question the wisdom of working independently, as you realise there is no one there to provide back-up!
Colin has been finishing off our new WiSe DVD aimed at the boat owning public, which is due to be launched in the spring of 2008. In addition, I have been finalising the details of the WiSe courses for February and March of next year. So far we have six lined up, with others waiting in the wings – see a list at www.wisescheme.org – and we have our first course in Jersey to look forward to, as well as others in established regions.
WiSe has so far proved to be popular and successful, with nearly 500 individuals through courses to date. Having achieved this critical mass, we are now entering the next phase of development, through which we hope to launch the project to a new level. Up until now, most of the courses have been run by myself and old friend and seal expert Stephen Westcott, although we have successfully involved other experts from around the regions on occasion. However, we have always been aware of the great depth of available talent out in the regions, who would be capable of delivering courses, and that it would greatly benefit WiSe and its aims to recruit some of them as instructors. We see this as important not only because of their wide familiarity with marine wildlife, but also through their intimate knowledge of local issues and conditions and their peers. So, this spring will see the first WiSe instructors courses around the regions, with the intention that by the autumn most future courses will be locally organised and run. So far, all of those invited to become instructors have responded enthusiastically, and we know that we have a very talented team waiting in the wings for their chance to lead WiSe into the future.
Louise departs for Uganda again in early January for ten days to run a training workshop on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on behalf of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Ugandan Wildlife Authority. This is a direct follow on from her previous visit in Nov 2006, reviewing the effectiveness and quality of approved EIAs prepared by the emerging oil industry. Uganda does have EIA regulations in place, but as the oil industry in the country is so young, many of the statutory agency and conservation protection staff are yet to build up a solid background in the potential impacts associated with hydrocarbon exploitation, and the appropriateness of mitigation actions proposed. Effective monitoring, consultation and management of impacts requires a step-change in approach. The EIA training will consist of two days in the classroom, followed by three days in the field visiting a few operational exploratory sites on the shores of Lake Albert. Louise has engaged the assistance of Karl Fuller of Sherwood SEA in developing and delivery of the training course (Karl, ex-IEMA, developed the 2002 update to the widely-used UNEP EIA Training materials).
In the meantime, Lou’s work with WWF is focussing on Strategic Environmental Assessment as part of the UK Governments offshore oil & gas licensing scheme. The Appropriate Assessments on potential licensing in the Cardigan Bay and Moray Firth SACs might allow inappropriate development in areas designated for the protection of bottlenose dolphin populations. The challenge of trying to withhold certain special marine areas so they can achieve their protection management objectives continues…
Lou was also recently profiled in the international BP magazine, in an article focussing on ex-employees who have made the jump to the conservation world, and ex-NGO staff now working within BP. In addition to Lou, the article also features Greg Bourne, ex-senior Environmental Advisor to the BP board, who now is Chief Executive Officer at WWF Australia. The article “Rebels with a cause” is available here.
We shall both then meet up at the London International Boat Show in London’s Docklands area, running between the 11th-20th of January. Our new boat “Pèlerin” will be on display on the North Sea Maritime (www.northseamaritime.com) stand N021E, and one of us should be there for most of the time – if you are planning to attend the Show, please come and say hello, and make the acquaintance of our new aluminium ocean-going home. For those of you interested in our wildlife work, I shall be making a 20 minute presentation on marine wildlife and boats at 1630 on the 11th. This will be on the Main Stage, and is part of a rolling series of “Master-classes” throughout the show, and it’s good that marine life is getting a look-in.
Happy New Year!
Colin and Lou.
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