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www.naturalengland.org.uk
Managing Marine Conservation Zones
Dr Angela MoffatMarine Bill Project Manager
Natural England
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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?
• How might the conservation agencies, public authorities and developers best work together?
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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’
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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
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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.
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Under the UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill, MCZs can be designated for the purpose of conserving:
•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
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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.
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Physical data
Drawing on the wealth of existing information including:
•Broad-scale habitat distribution maps;
•Detailed bathymetric charts;
•Detailed sediment distribution maps.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Making the process work
• 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)
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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.
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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.
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