Protecting Our Marine Environment
Photo credit Sam Balderson
Our activities and actions can have a huge influence on our amazing marine environment. With the sea and the coast on our doorstep, more people are wanting to make it their home and visit these areas and get the benefits of being in, on, under or by the water. However; this also means more developments and more people taking part in recreational activities, increasing pressure and impacts on habitats and species that are also found there. It is important to understand these and how we can lessen them, allowing a positive influence, making space for nature and people.
Impacts and Pressures
Disturbance
Wildlife and habitats are vulnerable to disturbance from different types of activities. There are simple things we can do to reduce these risks and we get to enjoy more by disturbing less.
Litter and Plastics
Marine litter and debris have far-reaching impacts on marine life and environments, However, there are lots of things that can be done to help combat this.
Pollution
Pollution can be devastating to marine ecosystems and species, and these pollutants come from a vast range of sources and several ways to prevent them entering the Ocean.
Non-Native Species
The Plymouth Sound and Estuaries have both Non-Native Species (NNS) and Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) present, but there are things you can do to help prevent their spread, or the introduction of new NNS.
Marine Mammal Strandings
What to do, and who to contact if you see an an injured or stranded marine animal on the shoreline around Plymouth Sound and Estuaries