A national or subnational oiled wildlife response plan is best developed as a process in which all key stakeholders are involved. The process could include a series of meetings in which the main issues are discussed and in which all stakeholders bring forward their ideas and response capabilities. A constructive atmosphere is needed in order to arrive at the best possible result.

In many countries, Sea Alarm has acted as a moderator in starting discussions between key actors, design a road map for the process ahead, assist with the development of a response plan, and providing training to key officers and organisations.

Although there are many generic elements, there is no blueprint for the planning process that can simply be
copied from one country to another. In each country, the starting point is different. Some countries may already have experienced an oiled wildlife incident and know exactly which problems occurred previously.
In other countries key responders may have difficulty working together because of existing animosities. Other countries may be lacking the experience, facilities or resources to mount an oiled wildlife response.

A blueprint oiled wildlife response plan is also difficult to provide. Each country has its own unique emergency response infrastructure. In some countries the key responsibilities for oil spill response and wildlife issues are distributed over a large number of administrative levels, making the planning process a complicated  undertaking. In other countries only a few ministries and a handful of organisations are involved, allowing relatively simple and straightforward solutions.

As an impartial outsider, Sea Alarm has the ability to moderate meetings between different stakeholders to define the common grounds for a contingency plan on the basis of which they can cooperate in oil spill incidents.

Alternatively Sea Alarm can provide training to key individuals who are dedicated or charged with the task to lead the planning process in their country.

Contact us for more information.