Who is OSPAR?
OSPAR is the regional seas convention working towards the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic and its regions: Arctic Waters, the greater North Sea including the English Channel, the Celtic Seas, the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast, and the wider Atlantic including the waters surrounding the Azores.
The Contracting Parties to the OSPAR Convention are Belgium, Denmark, the European Community, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
OSPAR aims to protect, conserve and restore the ecosystems and the biological diversity of the maritime area, which are affected by human activities. It has been a driving forum for identifying and designating the world’s first High Seas Marine Protected Areas including the Charlie-Gibbs MPA.