Bitter disappointment - Devon Wildlife Trust reacts to the Marine Conservation Zones consultation published today

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)

Recognition for local volunteers

A leading local charity, Devon Wildlife Trust, has recently achieved the Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard, recognising the excellent work it does with volunteers. Devon Wildlife Trust regularly receives help from more than 300 volunteers, all of whom give up their time and talents to help the charity's vital work for local wildlife. The Trust's Dawn Lenn, who coordinates their efforts said: 'This has come as wonderful news. We try hard to manage volunteers well and to give people the opportunity to contribute positively to nature conservation. It's lovely to know we are getting it right. The benefit to Devon Wildlife Trust's work is tremendous with the number of hours volunteers donate each year in the tens of thousands.' Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations involving volunteers. It aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience for all volunteers and for organisations to acknowledge the enormous contribution made by volunteers. The award scheme is managed by the UK Volunteering Forum and delivered by Volunteering England. Devon Wildlife Trust was assessed against a range of best practice standards and proved to excel in all aspects of working with its volunteers. Dawn added: 'DWT was set up by volunteers 50 years ago, and volunteers have remained central to its activities ever since. I hope that achieving this award in our 50th anniversary year will help demonstrate to everyone who ever helped DWT just how highly they are regarded.' Devon Wildlife Trust's volunteers come from all backgrounds and all parts of the county. The range of tasks they undertake varies from office administration to undertaking practical management tasks on the Trust's nature reserves. Anyone wishing to join as a volunteer should visit www.devonwildlifetrust.org or call 01392 279244.

A SPONSORED WALK WITH A DIFFERENCE: FIRE WALK CHALLENGE AT THE BIG SHEEP

Have you considered walking on a bed of hot coals? Well you can do it, you won't even need a stout pair of walking boots to take part in this alternative sponsored walk which are being held at the BIG Sheep on Sunday 16th December 2012. The chosen charity for this year's firewalk is Age Concern, however you are welcome to chose a chairty of your own. Fortunately, you do not need any experience to take part in this extraordinary event so if you would like to get involved you can contact Cathy Edwards on 01271 371343 or email cathy@jcfundraising.com for a sponsorship pack. If you'd just like to offer your support we are offering FREE admission to watch the participants complete their challenge.