Historically, the royal navy has been scrutinised for its impact on marine wildlife and its lack of consideration for preventing the climate crisis. Recently, a new perspective seems to be brewing amongst the armed forces to ensure the environment is protected, but is it enough?

Where do sea turtles come into it?

On Friday, the navy crew of the HMS Medway made national headlines when they returned half a dozen loggerhead turtles to their native seas in Azore. The turtles washed up on the shores of Cornwall, Devon and Anglesey, where they were on the verge of death.

Turtles are ectotherms, meaning they cannot regulate their own body temperature without an external source of heat. The exotic turtles were found emaciated and dehydrated but were soon rescued and cared for by Anglesey and Newquay Aquariums for almost two years.

The HMS Medway is a counter drug-smuggling and natural disaster relief ship which was heading for the Caribbean when the organisations approached them, asking for their help. The navy were happy to release the turtles at Azores on route and stated they were "keen to do what we can to reduce the loss of biodiversity at sea", but are they doing enough?

Climate training

Back in February, a paper was leaked to the telegraph revealing the navy's plan to apply mandatory online climate courses to their training syllabus. The paper highlights how climate change can impact naval defences as "global warming can damage ports and maritime infrastructure" and "threaten peace".

The idea sparked political uproar in parliament with MPs claiming the navy is getting "distracted by fashionable causes" and "national security is taking a back seat" unnecessarily. The training was later debated in the house of lords but did not reach a justified conclusion.

As of today climate training is not compulsory for defence personnel but is available online. Royal Navy superiors continue to support the countries net zero targets and reinforce the theory that climate change will impact defence systems. But are not actively engaging in eco-activities right?

If we asked the question a decade ago we would be presented with a very different answer but as of this year the Royal Navy has proved helpful in conservation strategies in polar ecosystems.

The navy's role in Antarctic conservation

The HMS Protector covered 7000 nautical miles across the Antarctic equipped with a crew and scientists from Oceanities, Cambridge and Portsmouth universities. They conducted data on 10000 penguins, performed population counts on Antarctic mammals, collected rock and water samples for lab observations and studied the negative human impacts on the ecosystem.

The navy crew removed three tonnes of waste from an abandoned expedition site on Brabant Island which had been attempted in 2017 but failed due to the severity of permafrost. They also delivered 4.5 tonnes of conservation resources, along with aviation fuel to remote research centres throughout the continent.

They also took sanitisation measures, as described by the Animal and Plant Health Agency to prevent the spread of bird flu to vulnerable penguin colonies. Although its a small contribution, it is undeniably a step in the right direction for enforcing wildlife protection in the armed forces.

Marine mammal murderers?

Many conservationists, biologists and activists argue that the navy are not taking sufficient measures to prevent their impact on marine mammals. An abundance of scientific studies from the last few decades have been building evidence against the impact of noise pollution on cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises and whales).

The Royal Navy conduct exercises using helicopters, sonar devices and explosives which can pose a threat for echolocating animals that rely on soundwaves to navigate their surroundings. Naval activity has proved the most likely cause of a mass stranding of 40 dolphins on Falmouth Beach in 2008 and various other deaths caused by navigation issues.

Before evidence was brought to light the navy rejected all claims of sonar injuring marine mammals back in 2006 and since has continued to upgrade its technologies. Both stakeholders are due a review of the situation and how harming wildlife can be mitigated whilst also providing the best defence mechanisms.

A greener (or shall we say bluer) future?

The navy protect Britain's territories, mitigate attacks and maintain maritime trade to support the economy. However, it is becoming more and more critical to integrate conservation activities into their missions in order to protect our seas against its most threatening enemy of all, climate change.

Preserving biodiversity and cutting emissions should be treated with great urgency but it cannot compromise our best defences and protection strategies. Instead we must rethink and work as whole to find solutions that do not limit other industries and services that are required for our safety.