Research

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, go amongst the people, live with them learn from them, see what is there and build on what they have. The Thames estuary has a huge maritime history unequalled in the world. Yet in resource terms, do we really understand what is there and its legacy today?

The starting point in any environmental management is good research. We need to know where things are and the value they bring. It is essential to bring together all of our current knowledge to avoid duplication. We need to concentrate on interactions, for example, to define not just where navigation occurs, but its impact on wildlife.

Richmond Bridge

We need to detail how human activity affects water quality and where sports facilities can bring well-being within our busy urban lives. This at first would seem huge and impossible task. But this can be developed, by understanding individual resources and developing them relatively. (In line with the needs of all the other factors)

The individual elements of the "Sea in the City", London's urban coastline can be studied in isolation, as individual elements species, uses, or needs, or can be thought of holistically as an entire policy. But let us use the resource itself to guide its development. If you consider a single plant, to nurture and provide the essentials for life, it requires good soil, nutrients, water, carbon dioxide and light. To provide these elements, at the correct level, guarantees good growth and potential for the future.

But in an entire ecosystem this requires cooperation and consistent management to provide utility. It is important to have strong local plans, there are the London Strategies, but these must relate to all the other policies around them. At the macro level management in isolation, is no management at all.