The news of two tankers crashing in the North Sea earlier this week, and the ensuing fire and evacuation, was a shock that resonated not just throughout our county but across the whole of the UK and northern Europe. With the news that the collision appears sadly to have claimed a life, the fast response of those out at sea rescuing the crews deserves significant recognition and praise. 

So far, we are relieved not to be re-living the horrors of previous environmental disasters - when oil-drenched birds were seen on our TV screens alongside people working tirelessly to save whatever wildlife they could. Due to technological improvements to radar and on tanker ships, such accidents have become rarer; but the severity of the risk now is higher than ever, as our resident and visiting wildlife struggles against increased local and international pressures.

It has been incredibly worrying to experience – to our knowledge - such a near miss, at a time of the year which could have proved cataclysmic to the animals which rely on our unique estuary and valuable coastline. As I write, seabirds like puffins, guillemots and gannets are returning to our Flamborough cliffs reserve to breed, seal colonies along our coast have recently pupped, and wading birds in their thousands winter are roosting or arriving after a long flight.

This potentially-catastrophic environmental disaster at the mouth of the Humber would have devasted one of the most protected and important sites for precious birds and rare wetland habitat in the country. The Humber Estuary has the highest level of environmental protection possible, is one of the 10 most important estuaries in Europe for wetland birds, and is an internationally-important haven for migrating birds in spring.

Had a significant release of fuel or chemicals occurred, birds, fish and cetaceans would all have been poisoned, and their food sources found in the water column, on the sea bed and in the mud flats would all have been decimated. This disaster had the potential to wipe out years of dedicated work by local conservation groups. Fortunately it seems we have avoided the worst-case scenario, although we are waiting to hear the results of the damage assessment and salvage operation.

The Humber Estuary is a critical national asset, environmentally and economically. The ports handle approximately 40,000 ship movements annually, representing 16% of the UK's seaborne trade and 14% of the UK's international trade. Even though maritime safety measures are very good, we do want to see lessons learned from this incident and increased prevention and preparedness for severe pollution incidents, as our pressurised wildlife would be unlikely to recover from a severe pollution incident.  

We have been blown away by the outpouring of support and offers of aid – in whatever form – we have received from concerned members of the public. We know Yorkshire’s people care very deeply for wildlife. However, this incident has made us more aware than ever that we have squeezed our wildlife in to the margins around human lives and economic activities, undermining resilience and ability to bounce back from shock events whether natural or man-made. Our wildlife is clinging on in scattered and small safe havens. In the aftermath of this incident, we need an impetus – both regionally and nationally – towards creating more and better-protected space for our wildlife, and I would urge you all to lend your voice in whatever way you can to support a wilder Yorkshire.