Starting from June 2017, Belgium will implement measures that will improve and protect sea bottom integrity, by not allowing certain bottom fisheries techniques. Two zones have been selected to test alternative bottom trawl fishing techniques that will cause less seabed disturbance compared to current techniques. The projects tested in those zones should comply with SDG 14 and have to be authorized by the Federal Public Service for the Environment.

Africalia was created to set in motion the realization of the objectives laid out in Article 27 of the EU-ACP Cotonou Agreement. The objectives of this article are: * the inclusion of a cultural dimension in all aspects of development cooperation, * the facilitating of intercultural dialogue among ACP countries, * the preservation and valorization of these countries' cultural heritage, * the development of their cultural industries, and * the improvement of access for their cultural goods and services to European markets. Article 27 thus contends that culture can be an important lever ...[more]

The long term vision for the North Sea 2050 is a bottom-up initiative of the Secretary of State for the North Sea, Mr. Philippe De Backer for which all sectors and stakeholders in Belgium are invited to participate in different working groups. There will be 3 different working groups: - Naturalness; - Multiple spatial use - Blue economy and innovation. These working groups will set out concrete future scenarios that have to benefit the North Sea. Each working group will provide input for a report which will be publized at the end of the year 2017. The final report will also provide a ...[more]

The Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) has initiated and supported research programmes dedicated to the study of the marine ecosystem. The objectives of the programmes are to enhance the understanding of the marine ecosystem and to support a sustainable management and use of this ecosystem. The focus lies mainly on the North Sea ecosystem and surrounding areas as well as on the Southern Ocean. In the frame of the latest research programme BRAIN-be (Belgian Research Action through Interdisciplinary Networks), 24 multidisciplinary research projects focussed on the marine environment or wi...[more]

Belgium commits to the preparation of a national action plan to reduce the damage caused by ballast water from ships. The process of loading and unloading untreated ballast water poses a major threat to the environment, public health and the economy as ships become a vector for the transfer of organisms between ecosystems, from one part of the world to another. The Ballast Water Convention, managed by the International Maritime Organization in London, aims at preventing, limiting and eventually eliminating the displacement of harmful aquatic organisms and germs by controlling and managing t...[more]

Belgium commits to the preparation of a national action plan to combat marine litter. The scope of the national action plan will be broad, aiming to prevent macro, as well as micro litter, and to reduce land-based, as well as sea-based sources. Examples of types of litter and sources that will be addressed in the action plan are litter from the fisheries sector, single use plastic materials and primary microplastics. The action plan will also contain several cleaning activities such as the removal of fishing nets from ship wrecks and beach cleanups. Finally, there will be an important focus on...[more]

Knowing is caring! Belgium will be producing a brochure on marine biodiversity in the Belgian part of the North Sea. The purpose is to raise awareness among the general public on the rich and diverse life in our North Sea and how to protect it. The brochure will touch on different subject, such as: - the different hotspots of biodiversity in the North Sea; - a selection of 10 to 15 marine species (shrimp, porpoise, ) in the different dimensions (sea bed, water, air): o whats special about this species? o which threats does it suffer from (pollution, microplastics, climate change, )? ...[more]

Belgium was amongst the first countries to join the Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China) International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships and has transposed it, as well as the EU regulations on the matter, into its national law. Within its national law, Belgium has adopted severe sanctions for ships that violate these environmentally sound recycling standards. Belgium commits to enthousiastically encourage others to join this important convention and is evaluating options to do this is the best possible way (for example through a workshop or ...[more]

The Federal Truck is a beautifully designed truck with which the Belgian federal government is reaching out to citizens in a low-threshold, accessible and fun manner. Coastal populations and visitors's awareness is raised on the natural values of the North Sea, the importance of its protection and actions that are and can be taken in this field. The Federal Truck will visit 10 coastal cities over the course of the summer of 2017 and will propose the following activities for visitors: - playing our interactive game on a big screen getting waste out of the ocean; - discovering marine life i...[more]

We want to guide organizers of beach events to come to a more sustainable event. We give them tips for sustainable catering, use of material, energy and water use, waste management,...

The IHO capacity building programme seeks to assess and advise on how countries can best meet their international obligations and serve their own best interests by providing appropriate hydrographic and nautical charting services. Such services directly support safety of navigation, safety of life at sea, efficient sea transportation and the wider use of the seas and oceans in a sustainable way, including the protection of the marine environment, coastal zone management, fishing, marine resource exploration and exploitation, maritime boundary delimitation, maritime defence and security, and o...[more]

Recently (31/3/2017) the Belgian Federal Government has decided to acquire a new multidisciplinary research vessel to replace the current RV Belgica. This new research vessel will be a state of the art ship. The specifications of the research vessel are based on the needs of the Belgian marine research community. It will be acoustic silent, equipped with ultra-modern hydro-acoustic devices (such as deep-water multibeam, parametric sub-bottom profiler, fishing sonar, USBL, ADCP, ...), two drop keels and a dynamic positioning system class 2. It will allow using all modern marine research infra...[more]

The Federal Minister of Environment, Mrs. Marie Christine Marghem, and the DETIC (Belgian and Luxembourg association for producers and distributors of cosmetics, cleaning and maintenance products, adhesives and sealants) commit to the preparation of a sectoral agreement that aims at eliminating microplastics from consumer products covered by the association, in particular cosmetic products. The agreement includes four commitments : scientific knowledge monitoring, adjustment process, communication and training, and the development of specific sectoral actions. The sectoral agreement firstly...[more]

Colombia se compromete en la implementacin de una aproximacin integrada para la sostenibilidad de los ecosistemas marinos y costeros desde una perspectiva de crecimiento azul para la regin del Pacfico Sudeste, en el marco del proyecto SPINCAM fase 3

The Belgian part of the North Sea is one of the most intensively used seas in the world. Shipping, tourism, fisheries, sand exploitation, windmills etc. All these activities make use of what the sea has to offer. However, this myriad of activities causes high pressure. However, it can be a challenge for these diverging activities to co-exist. They may also have an impact on the environment. In order to achieve a balance, the Belgian authorities have adopted the first marine spatial plan for the Belgian part of the North Sea in 2014. We have committed to making this process cyclical, in orde...[more]

During the 19th century, the European oyster was very common in the Belgian Marine Waters, but since the end of the 20th century, the species is virtually extinct. Its extinction can be explained by several causes, being the removal of hard substrates due to the use of bottom trawling techniques, overharvest of the biogenic reefs, introduced diseases,... ; Following on the reintroduction of undisturbed hard surfaces (artificial and/or restoration of habitat in the near future), the Belgian government voluntary runs a feasibility study in order to stimulate the presence of adult oysters and/o...[more]

SUNx is a legacy program for Maurice Strong, Sustainable Development pioneer. Our focus is Climate Change. It is eXistential. If we don’t address it now, it threatens humanity. We have created a systemic approach to Climate Resilience for Travel & Tourism though our Impact-Travel framework. SUNx helps communities align with Paris climate targets and related SDGs. It is partnership focused, guided by a Council of like-minded thinkers and driven from an EU based, not for profit Institute.

The Voluntary Commitment of the European PVC industry is a 10-year plan for sustainable development and product stewardship across the life cycle of PVC. It was set up in 2000 to minimise the environmental impact of the PVC production, promote responsible use of additives, support collection and recycling, and encourage social dialogue between all of the industry stakeholders. Vinyl 2010 is the legal entity set up to provide the organisational and financial infrastructure to manage and monitor the actions undertaken as part of the Voluntary Commitment. It groups European vinyl resin manufactur...[more]

Secretary of State Philip De Backer, the Federal Public Service for the Environment, the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, WWF and Natuurpunt will join forces and turn 2018 into the "Year of the North Sea". Every month will get a specific theme (ex: marine litter) and we will make a dedicated short film about every theme. The activities and actions of each month will be dedicated to that theme. The goal is to raise awareness in Belgium and to increase ocean literacy. Our aim is that at the end of the year, virtually everyone will be able to answer the basic question: "What do w...[more]