Cefas completes first year of distribution of marine aggregate levy sustainability fund

01 July 2005

In 2004 Cefas became one of four distributing bodies that deliver ALSF projects in the marine environment. Cefas contributes to the second objective of the ALSF: 'promoting environmentally friendly extraction and transport' in the context of the marine environment. Consistent with this Cefas procure projects which deliver programmes that:

reduce the local effects of marine aggregate extraction.
promote environmentally friendly practices for the extraction of marine aggregate.
undertake strategic research into the environmental consequences of marine aggregate extraction.
reduce the environmental impacts of using marine aggregate in coastal protection schemes.

The fund which Cefas administers on behalf of Defra is called the Marine Environment Protection Fund (MEPF).

In the first year, MEPF contracts have been awarded to 5 organisations to work on 7 projects as follows:

Project Ref	Project Title	Contractor and project leader	End Date
MEPF 04/01	Eastern English Channel Large-scale seabed habitat mapping	British Geological Survey Ceri James	March 2007
MEPF 04/02	Recoverability of affected ecosystems after cessation of marine aggregate extraction	Marine Ecological Surveys Ltd Dr Jamie Robinson	March 2007
MEPF 04/03	Development of a risk assessment framework	HR Wallingford Ltd Valerie Bain	March 2007
MEPF 04/04	Improvements to predictive modelling	ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd Dr Steven Freeman	March 2007
MEPF 04/05	Marine ALSF Science Co-ordinator	Marine Ecological Surveys Ltd Dr Richard Newell	March 2007
MEPF 04/07	Marine ALSF Offshore Geographical Information System	ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd Jamie Moore	March 2007
MEPF 04/00 (Extramural)	Assessment of re-habilitation of the seabed following marine aggregate dredging	Cefas Keith Cooper	July 2005

News

Cefas completes first year of distribution of marine aggregate levy sustainability fund