Managing Marine Conservation
Zones
Dr Angela Moffat
Marine Bill Project Manager
Natural England
angela.moffat@naturalengland.org.uk
www.naturalengland.org.uk
Outline
•
Marine Conservation Zones – What are they
and where do they fit in the overall scheme of
things?
•
How will they be selected?
•
What data will be used?
•
How will marine conservation zones be
managed?
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How might the conservation agencies, public
authorities and developers best work
together?
UK Marine Protected Area Network
Government’s Vision for the marine environment
• ‘Clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically
diverse ocean and seas’
Government’s aim
• ‘to recover and protect the richness of our marine
environment and wildlife through the development of
a strong, ecologically coherent and well managed
network of marine protected areas, that is well
understood and supported by all sea users, by 2012’
UK Marine Protected Area Network
The UK Marine Protected Area network will consist of:
• International marine sites
– Special Areas of Conservation
– Special Protection Areas
– Ramsar sites
• National marine sites
– Sites of Special Scientific Interest
– (Marine Nature Reserves)
– Marine Conservation Zones
Marine Conservation Zones
Aims:
• To designate MCZs that will meet
the UK’s MPA network criteria
thereby conserving and/or aiding the
recovery of ecosystems and
biodiversity, whilst minimising
economic or social impacts on
society.
• To maximize the wider benefits of
the MCZ network to society by
investigating synergies with other
sectors.
Under the UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill, MCZs can
be designated for the purpose of conserving:
•
•
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Marine flora or fauna
Marine habitats or types of marine habitat
Features of geological or geomorphological interest
The above includes:
• Species that are rare or threatened; and
• The diversity of flora, fauna or habitats whether or not rare
or threatened.
Socio-economic considerations
• The economic and social consequences of designation
may also be taken into account
MCZ selection process
• Integrated inshore /offshore
planning;
• Delivered through four regional
projects;
• Places stakeholders central to
the decision making process;
• Process open and transparent;
• Bottom up, top guided process.
Physical data
Drawing on the wealth of
existing information including:
• Broad-scale habitat distribution
maps;
• Detailed bathymetric charts;
• Detailed sediment distribution
maps.
Ecological data
Range of research commissioned to
provide best available scientific
ecological evidence including:
•
Species and habitats distribution maps;
•
Important nursery, juvenile or spawning
grounds;
•
Areas of high biological diversity;
•
Areas of high benthic productivity;
•
Distribution of seabed sediments and
rock;
•
Distribution of geological and
geomorphological features.
Socio-economic data
Existing socio-economic
information including:
• Distribution of activities
• Further projects to gather
additional information
including:
– Distribution of inshore
fishing activity
– Distribution of recreational
activities
Management of Marine Conservation Zones
• The Marine & Coastal Access Bill places the
responsibility for the management of MCZs with
public authorities.
Public authorities must:
• Exercise their functions in the manner which the
authority considers best furthers the conservation
objectives stated for the MCZ;
• Where it is not possible to exercise their functions
in a manner which furthers those objectives,
exercise them in the manner which the authority
considers least hinders the achievement of those
objectives.
Public authority marine conservation zone duties
and marine licensing
• Public authorities will need to carry out
these duties as part of delivering their
licensing functions;
• Where a public authority thinks that an
activity it intends to carry out or which is
seeking a licence may significantly
hinder the achievement of a MCZs
conservation objectives, they are
required to consult the statutory
conservation agency.
Role of Natural England
•
Natural England will be responsible for providing advice to
public authorities on how activities and impacts will affect
delivery of the conservation objectives for MCZs.
•
The Bill gives Natural England the power to provide advice
and guidance on a number of aspects of marine conservation
zone management including:
– Factors which might damage or affect protected
features;
– Impacts that might hinder achievement of the
conservation objectives and how these might be
mitigated;
– How to further the conservation objectives;
– Compensatory measures, where damage cannot be
avoided.
Making the process work
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Data and information collated as part of the MCZ
selection process will be available to public authorities
and developers wherever possible;
Natural England is keen to work with developers and
public authorities from an early stage in project
development to ensure that relevant factors are
considered from the outset;
Natural England has found this to be a successful way of
working with developers and public bodies to secure the
management of existing Sites of Special Scientific Interest
and European marine sites.
Natural England’s aim is not to prevent an activity from
occurring but to advise on whether it is possible to carry it
out in a way that prevents a significant impact on a MCZ
(and its role in the network)
Working together
• Ongoing dialogue around continuing activities;
• Early dialogue over new/changed activities;
• Collaboration over the production of guidance to cover
commonly occurring situations;
• Production of guidance for developers on when to
consult us and the information that will be required;
• Continuing discussion over the effectiveness of
management measures (including licensing
conditions);
• Adaptation of management if current management
measures are shown to be ineffective.
Summary
•
MCZs will contribute to delivering Government’s aim for a
ecologically coherent and well-managed network of MPAs;
•
The process of identifying MCZs will generate a large
amount of data and information that will also be of use in
managing the sites;
•
Public authorities will be responsible for the management
of MCZs and have specific duties relating to MCZs;
•
These duties will need to be delivered alongside carrying
out their functions, including licensing;
•
Natural England is keen to work with public authorities and
developers from an early stage to secure effective
management of MCZs with the minimum of fuss for all
parties.