Today Defra released its long-awaited consultation on the next stages of designation
of Marine Conservation Zones in English and non-devolved waters.
Along with other English Wildlife Trusts, Devon Wildlife Trust is bitterly
disappointed by the lack of ambition shown in this consultation. Defra proposes to
designate only 31 of the 127 sites recommended by experts and stakeholders at the
end of August last year. This includes just 4 of the 14 sites recommended around the
coasts of Devon. The four are Tamar Estuary; Skerries Bank and Surround; Torbay; and
Lundy.
The 127 recommended Marine Conservation Zones were chosen after two years of hard
work by more than one million stakeholders from all sectors of the marine
environment and at a cost of over £8.8 million to Government. Devon Wildlife Trust
worked closely with a range of sea users from fishermen to offshore developers and
sea anglers to boat users to reach consensus about which sites should go forward.
There are huge gaps in the Government's proposals for the first round of
designation. Of particular concern are:
- No sites in North Devon: Bideford to Foreland Point and Morte Platform, both put forward by local people in recognition of its marine wildlife value - missing. North of Lundy, subject to ground breaking discussions around co-location of marine protection and development - missing. Hartland Point to Tintagel, high habitat and species diversity - missing. And the Taw-Torridge Estuary, a vital part of the north Devon coastal ecosystem - missing.
- No small estuaries in South Devon: The Erme Estuary - missing. The Devon Avon Estuary - missing. The Axe Estuary - missing. The Otter Estuary - missing. And the Dart Estuary - missing. This despite hours of negotiations with ports and harbours to minimise impacts on local commerce.
You can visit these zones on The Wildlife Trusts interactive map and see some of the
wonders they are home to at: wildlifetrusts.org/MCZmap.
Devon Wildlife Trust's Marine Advocacy Officer, Richard White, reacted to the
Government's announcement: "Marine Conservation Zones should protect the species and
habitats found within them from the most damaging and degrading of activities whilst
mostly allowing sustainable activity to continue. The network was designed to
ensure that we don't end up with isolated and vulnerable sites and to ensure that
the wide range of marine habitats found in UK seas are protected. Failure to
designate all but a very small proportion of sites recommended by these stakeholders
will mean that we lack the ecologically coherent network that our seas so badly need
to recover."
The UK's marine habitats are rich and diverse but largely unprotected - which is why
The Wildlife Trusts spent a decade asking the Government to pass the Marine and
Coastal Access Act 2009. This included a commitment to designate this ecologically
coherent marine network of protected areas. Designation of an ecologically coherent
network would provide our seas with the protection they need to recover from past
abuses and help them to be restored to their full potential.
The Wildlife Trusts will be responding to the Government consultation at the end of
January. They will be publishing their recommendations on the consultation on their
webpage. Get involved now and sign up to become an MCZ friend so that we can
contact you about the consultation in the New Year. Go to
www.wildlifetrusts.org/MCZfriends to sign up.
Thornback Ray, Sea Slug, Moon Jellyfish, Grey Seal
All photos copyright Paul Naylor (www.marinephoto.co.uk)
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