Today, the international marine conservation conference "Progress in Marine Conservation in Europe 2015" meets for the fourth time in cooperation with the German Oceanographic Museum (Ozeaneum) in Stralsund. Approximately 180 participants from 20 countries will present research results on the current state of the world's oceans and discuss the latest developments.
In his opening speech, Jochen Flasbath, State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB), stated: "Marine conservation is on the political agenda". "When it comes to protecting our oceans the need for action is great. We will continue our work for marine protection and conservation at both national and international level. I am very pleased that this international conference, hosted by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Ozeaneum, has become a permanent fixture which gives policymakers expert impetus for the protection of marine biodiversity."
Under the BMUB's International Climate Initiative, Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks has supported 27 projects for the protection and sustainable use of marine ecosystems and coastal waters with over 100 million euros over the past few years. A further 8 projects totalling 30 million euros are currently in the approval process.
This year's conference focuses on marine protected areas, human activities at sea, in particular fishery and offshore wind farms, their impacts on marine life and measures to minimise these impacts. The conference will also look at methods for researching and monitoring species and habitats requiring protection and at the protection of endangered marine species.