PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
BLUE BELT CHARTER (5 December 2017)

That this House congratulates Sir David Attenborough and the BBC on the spectacular Blue Planet 2 series; notes that, with the fifth largest marine estate in the world, the UK and its Overseas Territories are custodian to the largest coral atoll on earth, globally significant populations of albatross, whales and turtles, and a quarter of the penguins on the planet; calls on the Government to sign the Blue Belt Charter; further calls on the Government to ensure that the UK remains a leading force within those international bodies concerned with greater protection of the Polar Regions, the UN process for establishing Marine Protected Areas on the High Seas, and within the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations; and calls on the Government to reaffirm its leadership in ocean conservation by working with the governments of the Overseas Territories to deliver on Blue Belt pledges to, establish a 500,000 km2 fully protected Marine Protected Area around the South Sandwich Islands in 2018, deliver on the commitment to establish a fully protected Marine Protected Area in at least 50 per cent of Ascension Island's waters in 2019, support the establishment of a locally-led marine protection regime throughout the waters of Tristan da Cunha by 2020 and strengthen the development of the locally-led marine protection regime throughout the waters of St Helena.

Sponsored by:
Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat)