1. End users of MIDA – a government perspective Trevor Harrison Environment and Heritage Service Department of the Environment Northern Ireland

2. The Environment & Heritage Service Background:

3. Planning Service Local Government & Road Safety Corporate Services Environmental Policy RSVSD Local GovernmentBackground:

4. Built Heritage Natural Heritage Environmental Protection Corporate Services Water Management Unit Waste Management & Contaminated Land Industrial Pollution & Radiochemical Inspectorate Air & Environmental Quality Drinking Water Inspectorate Protecting Historic Buildings Protecting Historic Monuments Recording Built Heritage Conservation Science Conservation Designations & Protection Countryside & Coast Regional Operations BiodiversityBackground:

5. Drivers: International Conventions  The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention)  The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention)  The Convention on Wetlands 1975 (Ramsar Convention)  The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention)  The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention)  The Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio Convention)  The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)  The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention) & The Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS)

6.  Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive)  Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive)  Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (Nitrates Directive)  Council Directive 76/160/EEC concerning the Quality of Bathing Water (Bathing Water Directive)  Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy (Water Framework Directive)  Directive establishing a Framework for Community Action in the field of Marine Environmental Policy (Marine Strategy Directive)Drivers: European Legislation

7. Drivers: National Legislation  The Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985  The Conservation (Nature Habitats, etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995  The Industrial Pollution Control (Northern Ireland) Order 1997  The Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999  The Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (ASSIs)  The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003  The Protection of Water Against Agricultural Nitrate Pollution Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004  Environmentally Sensitive Areas Designation Order (Northern Ireland) 2005

8. To meet these obligations :  Identify and establish areas for conservation Nature Reserves National Parks Marine Reserves Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Special Protected Areas (SPAs) Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)Requirements:

9. To meet these obligations :  Identify and monitor priority habitats and species Habitat Action Plans (NI Boidiversity Strategy) Species Action Plans (NI Biodiversity Strategy) Annex I Habitats (Article 11 of the Habitats Directive) Annex II Species (Article 11 of the Habitats Directive) Water status (Article 8 of the Water Framework Directive)Requirements:

10. To meet these obligations:  Report findings Government Europe International bodies  Educate and raise public awarenessRequirements:

11. Undertaken to develop a framework for marine nature conservation The appropriate management of the marine environment is dependent on adequate information and data. Data and Information

12. Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis; a series of observations, measurements, or facts. Data versus Information

13. Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis Data forms Data versus Information

14. Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis Data forms Spreadsheets Data versus Information

15. Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis Data forms SpreadsheetsDatabases Data versus Information

16. Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted. Data versus Information

17. Data on its own has no meaning, only when interpreted by some kind of data processing system does it take on meaning and become information. DataInformation Interpretation Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted. Data versus Information

18. Data on its own has no meaning, only when interpreted by some kind of data processing system does it take on meaning and become information. DataInformation Interpretation Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted. People or computers can find patterns in data to create information, and this information can be used to reason or make decisions. Data versus Information

19. Managers and decision-makers often use summary information Data and Information

20. Managers and decision-makers often use summary information Data and Information

21. Summary information is often required for reporting Data and Information Key Favourable Unfavourable - recovering Unfavourable Destroyed

22. Summary information is often required for reporting Data and Information Key Favourable Unfavourable - recovering Unfavourable Destroyed

23. Data and Information The Bathing Water Directive 76/160/EEC Regularly test the most popular bathing waters (16 sites) mainly bacteria Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland

24. Data and Information Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland

25. Data and Information Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland

26. Data and Information Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland

27. Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) Ecological Status High Good Moderate Poor Bad Data and Information

28. The Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC Article 11 – surveillance of the conservation status of priority habitats and species (Annex I habitats and Annex II species) Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland

29. Data and Information Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland

30. Data and Information Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland

31. Favourable Conservation Status Unfavourable Conservation Status Data and Information Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland

32. Northern Ireland sea grass beds Spatial interpretation of data. context context perspective perspective Data and Information

33. MNR ASSI SPA SAC Northern Ireland sea grass beds Data and Information

34. Summary information is an effective communication tool for educating the general public Data and Information

35. Universities Research Organisations ConsultantsNGOs DataInformation Government Agencies Environmental Managers Decision-makersPublic Users of Data and Information DetailPerspective

36. Issues Issues relating to data and information: Ownership Quality Assurance Auditable

37. Some survey data were not available inappropriate format data owner was unable or unwilling to release it. Data and information

38. Recommendations: a national marine information network should be established to which marine data should be contributed using agreed data standards; all marine data collected with public funds, and environmental data collected by the private sector for the purpose of complying with a regulatory procedure, should be placed in the public domain within specified timescales;

39. Data and information Recommendations: improved co-ordination of data collection and research activities needs to be achieved, and there should be a greater degree of collaboration between survey organisations; information on the sources, availability, extent and attributes of datasets (metadata) for the marine environment needs to be easily and widely accessible.

40. Issues Issues relating to data and information: Ownership Public funded data National marine information system Summary information Quality Assurance Metadata (when, where, why, how, who, standards) Auditable Common Standards Monitoring

41. Summary information is important to conservation agencies Decision-making Managing Reporting EducationConclusion Environmental atlases such as MIDA can play an important role in assisting government and conservation agencies through the production and presentation of summary information