The South West Atlantic Marine Environment: Research and Management Proceedings of the Conference held at The Royal Society, London, 7/8 June 2000 - Foreword

摘要

Around 80 people attended the Royal Society in London on two sunny days in June 2000. The attendees came from many different walks of life, but all shared an interest in natural science, conservation and the environment of the South West Atlantic. When providing advice and representation to companies on issues pertaining to the marine environment, I am acutely aware of the need to address the environment as a whole. This is important on a number of fronts, not least to enable environmental protection and to support exploration and engineering activities. This support includes defining extreme weather conditions, preparing waste management, emergency and contingency plans, and developing practices and providing awareness training that minimize the risk of accident and contamination. Understanding the physical nature, the ecology and the sensitivities of a region is essential to many of these activities and, more generally, to accurately predict, and mitigate, the impact of man's actions, be they tourism, mineral exploration and production, or fishing. The idea behind the conference was, therefore, to bring together research workers from different fields, and managers, so that they could become better aware of each other's work, and in doing so help highlight the need for good science and understanding to support legislation and good management practices. Although present at the Falkland Islands Exploration and Production Environmental Forum (FIEPEF), this co-operation is not always apparent elsewhere, with both the scientific community and industry often separating physical, ecological and economic issues. This is the main reason why I considered this conference worthwhile. I am pleased that others thought likewise, and I hope the approach of development through understanding is a model that can be adopted widely in the future.