The MCZ Project

Since the Marine and Coastal Access Act received Royal Assent in November 2009, the MCZ Project team members have been progressing data collection, drafting guidance and undertaking stakeholder engagement activities.

The regional MCZ Projects have employed their expected full teams and are engaging stakeholders in their regions to form their stakeholder groups. It is planned to have the first meeting of the stakeholder group for Net Gain, Balanced Seas and Irish Sea Conservation Zone project in March 2010.

Finding Sanctuary has already established their stakeholder group but remain open to hearing from new stakeholders who may not be represented by existing members.

Natura 2000 Sites

JNCC, Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales are currently consulting on ten possible SACs (pSACs) and two potential (pSPAs):

Joint inshore/offshore pSACs

1. Haisborough Hammond and Winterton

2. Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge

Inshore pSACs

3. Margate and Long Sands (Thames Estuary)

4. Poole Bay to Lyme Bay (Dorset and Devon)

5. Prawle Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone (Devon)

6. Lizard Point (Cornwall)

7. Lands End and Cape Bank (Cornwall)

8. Shell Flat and Lune Deep (Morecambe Bay)

Offshore pSACs

9. Bassurelle Sandbank (Dover Strait)

10. North West Rockall Bank (off north western Scotland)

Potential SPAs:

1. Liverpool Bay/Bae Lerpwl (inshore waters in England and Wales)

2. Outer Thames Estuary (inshore and offshore waters in England)

Detailed site maps can be found on Natural England’s website for inshore sites, JNCC’s website for offshore sites, and within the relevant SAC Selection Assessment document or SPA Departmental Brief for each site. Consultation is due to end on 26^th February 2010.

Scottish waters

The Marine (Scotland) Bill is progressing through Scottish Parliament and is expected to receive Royal Assent in Spring 2010. There are currently provisions in the Bill to establish Marine Protected Areas in Scottish territorial waters, to mirror the responsibility given to Scottish Ministers under the Marine and Coastal Access Act to designate MPAs in Scottish offshore waters.

JNCC, Scottish Natural Heritage and Marine Scotland are drafting guidance to support future work to select MPAs in Scottish waters as required. JNCC will be responsible for offshore MPAs (beyond 12 miles) and SNH for inshore MPAs.

Stakeholder engagement and communications activities will be central to any site identification processes.

Contact details of national and regional MCZ Project teams

Regional Project Teams
Finding Sanctuary (South-West)
W: http://www.finding-sanctuary.org/
E: Tom.Hooper@southwestfoodanddrink.com
T: 01392 878327

Net Gain (North Sea)
W: http://www.netgainmcz.org/
E: joanna@yhsg.co.uk
T: 01482 382007

Irish Sea Conservation Zones
W: http://www.irishseaconservation.org.uk
E: r.byrne@irishseaconservation.org.uk
T: 01925 813200

Balanced Seas (Eastern Channel)
W: http://www.balancedseas.org/
E: s.m.wells@kent.ac.uk
T: 01227 827839

Contact details for Scottish MPAs

Scottish inshore MPAs
E: mpa@snh.gov.uk
Marine Protected Areas, Scottish Natural Heritage, Great Glen House, Leachkin Road Inverness, IV3 8NW

Scottish offshore MPAs
E: megan.linwood@jncc.gov.uk
T: 01224 654340

To find out more on what the Marine and Coastal Access Act will mean for nature conservation please visit: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/legislation/key-areas.htm. To find out more on what the forthcoming Marine (Scotland) Bill will mean for nature conservation please visit: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/09/28115722/0

For further information on the marine conservation work of JNCC, Natural England and Defra, please visit our websites:

• JNCC website: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/marineprotectedsites
• Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/biodiversity/marine/index.htm
• Natural England website: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk

For further information about Welsh Assembly Government, Protected Welsh Seas – A draft strategy for marine protected areas in Wales please visit: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/consmanagement/marinefisheries/conservation/protectedareas/?lang=en

Related posts:

1. Westminster Marine Bill passes
2. Firth of Clyde public consultation – update
3. Marine Bill receives Royal Assent
4. Natura 2000
5. Sea Angling and the CFP – update