Promoting Effective Governance of the Channel Ecosystem

PEGASEAS was an INTERREG IVa cross Channel capitalisation project between France and the United Kingdom and its aim was to promote the efficient governance of the Channel ecosystem.

PEGASEAS aimed to identify common governance outcomes, outputs and lessons learnt from a suite of relevant INTERREG IVa Channel Area Projects relevant to the effective governance of the Channel ecosystem (including biodiversity, ecosystem management, marine conservation and planning, coastal management, blue growth, managing the human use of the Channel, scientific research). When combined, the results of these projects offer important new insights into effective Channel governance and provide clear, powerful, communicable and compelling advice to support improved governance of the Channel marine ecosystem.

PEGASEAS tailored its findings to align with current and forthcoming marine policy and law to facilitate their integration into governance practice. This included the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (2014/89/EU). The focus of PEGASEAS was to have a high-level influence, including launching a report, ‘Pathways for effective governance of the English Channel’ at a House of Commons reception in London in November 2014.

Project partners

• Centre for Marine and Coastal Policy Research, Plymouth University (Lead);
• Association des Ports Locaux de la Manche,
• Agence des Aires Marines Protégées,
• Devon County Council,
• Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer,
• Marine Biological Association,
• Région Haute Normandie,
• Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science,
• Université de Bretagne Occidentale,
• Université de Caen Basse-Normandie,
• Université Pierre et Marie Curie, University of Portsmouth