Area:  total: 244,820 sq km  land: 241,590 sq km Coastline: 12,429 km Population: 59,113,439 (July 1999 est.) Source: CIA Worldfact Book (2000)

United Kingdom   Basic Data Contacts CSD Data Other Links Other Data Country Contacts Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Environment Agency   (Source:  CIA World Factbook 1999)     OCEANS AND COASTAL AREAS Many thanks to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, the source of the following information. The information was taken from the UK's submission to the 6th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (last update: May 30, 1998). For further information on the UK's social and economic factors, natural resources, and institutional structures see the United Nations System-Wide Web Site on National Implementation of the Rio Commitments National Information for the United Kingdom at:  http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/uk/index.htm   Decision-Making  The United Kingdom ratified United Nations Convention on Law of Sea on 25 July 1997. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is responsible for the sustainable development of coastal areas. The Environment Agency also has a significant role in coordinating anti-pollution and anti-flooding measures in England and Wales. Departments with specific responsibilities (such as the Department of Trade and Industry for oil and gas exploitation) are responsible for coordinating the planning and implementation of national strategies on these issues in conjunction with other Departments. The UK's national policy on oceans is integrated into a national strategy. An integrated coastal area management programme has also been implemented. The following national policies have been partially addressed: coastal vulnerability assessment; identifying on-going and planned programmes for the systematic observation of the marine environment, integrating activities and establishing priorities; and research to determine the biological effects of increased levels of ultraviolet rays due to depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer.  Sewage related issues are rated by the Government as "very important" in all areas and policy gaps are being addressed in the area of coastal outfalls. The Government is committed to phasing out the dumping of waste from collieries at sea by 1997, and the dumping of sewage sludge by the end of 1998. The Urban Waste water Treatment Directive sets priorities for the treatment of sewage according to the nature and sensitivity of the area receiving the sewage discharge and the size of the discharge. For the most significant discharges, the Directive specifies secondary treatment as the norm but provides for higher standards of treatment for discharges to sensitive areas and at least primary treatment for discharges to areas with high natural dispersion characteristics. The Directive will also require an end to the disposal of sewage sludge at sea by the end of 1998.  The EU's Shellfish Waters Directive is designed to protect or improve coastal waters that will support gastropod and bivalve molluscs. Through the Bathing Water Directive, substantial progress has been made in improving the quality of UK bathing waters. The private sector is addressing these requirements through the UK water industry's capital programme. The UK has taken steps to reduce inputs of organohalogens in water bodies, but does not believe that full elimination is currently achievable or that these substances should be treated as a uniform group.  The UN Agreement on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks has been signed by the UK and EU, and the ratification process is under way. Any response to the Code of Conduct of Responsible Fishing, adopted at the FAO Conference in November 1995, will be made collectively by the EU since UK Fisheries are managed under the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy. Major Groups participate fully at the national and local level. Status  Regular assessments of coastal and marine areas have been undertaken since 1987. The Government supports improvements of local and national programmes. Human resource development and training, as well as public education and awareness building, are considered important. A wide range of monitoring techniques are deployed as part of systematic programmes. Cooperation  The UK cooperates in many international science programmes including : the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the scientific working groups of the London Convention, and of the Oslo and Paris Commissions, Global Oceans Observing System (GOOS), World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE), Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine Environment Protection (GESAMP), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), European Union (EU) Programmes, and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).  It is the government's policy to support the implementation of relevant and effective UN programmes in the area of strengthening international and regional cooperation, e.g. GEF. The UK has committed US$200 million to the GEF. The UK hosted a workshop in 1995 on the role of environmental science in policy-making as part of inter-sessional work for CSD 96.       Other Links Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the European Union       Other Data n.a.     (top)