This report provides a brief introduction in to the Chichester Harbour SeaView vision, the various elements of water quality, and the legislation that underpins the current targets for an improved marine environment. Chichester Harbour, the first area In Sussex covered by the Seaview project, is a waterbody that is covered by a wide range of both marine and terrestrial legislation. A working group set up in 2015 agreed upon a total of 20 environmental indicators, these were divided in to four categories: The physical environment; water quality; ecological health indicators; and additional factors. Each of the environmental indicators were individually reviewed and assigned a Red, Amber or Green (RAG) status, depending on whether a target had been set, reached, both or neither. Only 3 of the 20 indicators fell in to Red status, which shows the great work that all agencies are putting in to improving the marine environment. The majority of the indicators fell in to the Amber category, 16 in total, many of which are the focus of projects currently underway, and are likely to meet the targets set for the coming years. However, there is a need to address missing targets and management regimes for many of these amber indicators. The collection of targets also enables us to take a step closer to defining good ecological or environmental status. Following on from this report and the acknowledgment of areas that may require further action, stakeholders, principally through the Arun & Western Streams Catchment Partnership, will be able to assess the likelihood of all currents targets being met within the predicted timelines. Additionally, discussions can take place between stakeholders surrounding the work areas that currently have no targets or are under no management with a view to kick starting actions.
The full report can be found HERE