Session 2010-11
Miscellaneous Matters - Correspondence - unprinted written evidence
From Richard Benyon
MP
Dear Anne, RE: Marine Conservation Zones I am writing to let you know about an important activity going on around the coast. This aims to involve sea users, local communities and other stakeholders in an innovative process to help set up a network of marine protected areas to protect sea life and marine habitats. You may wish to encourage your constituents to become involved in this work. Our marine environment is essential to our future, contributing substantially to our economic and social well-being. It supports a range of industrial and recreational activities, is a major source of food and plays an important role in climate regulation, absorbing and retaining more carbon dioxide than the land. By conserving our seas, we can ensure that future generations will be able to fish, enjoy and benefit from the sea in the same way we have in centuries past, and that our marine industries are viable both environmentally and economically. The Government is committed to creating an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in UK waters by 2012 to conserve ecosystems and biodiversity. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 introduced a new mechanism for designating Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) to protect features of national importance and interest. Our network of MPAs will comprise both existing and new sites and will help to halt the decline in biodiversity by including the full range of UK habitats and species and conserving areas where there are rare and threatened species and habitats. It will provide areas of good quality habitat which help to ensure that the marine environment is healthy and able to deliver the many goods and services we rely on. The identification of MCZs is being stakeholder-led, and managed by Natural England (NE) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). JNCC and NE have established four regional projects to identify potential sites, and each project has established stakeholder groups, made up of key stakeholders in their regions, to examine the evidence and put forward proposals. They are therefore working with people who use the sea for their livelihood or leisure to identify potential new MCZs. The projects also hold workshops and road shows within their areas, and send out regular newsletters to interested parties. Recreational and commercial needs will be taken into consideration before the zones are designated. The aim is for MCZs to have the least impact possible on people’s activities, as long as they meet the guidelines for protecting species and habitats. To that end, it is the regional project stakeholder groups that will ultimately be responsible for developing recommendations on the location and conservation objectives of any MCZs in their region. I want to encourage all with an interest in the sea to get involved. A map, further information and contact details for the regional projects are in the enclosed notes. Kind regards, RICHARD BENYON MP Briefing Note Why protect the marine environment? The seas around England are home to a spectacular range of marine wildlife. Many of England’s marine habitats are of European importance – for instance, undersea chalk reefs are more abundant in England than anywhere else in Europe. There are around 8000 species, including many of conservation concern such as several species of whale, dolphins, corals and sponges, and internationally important populations of breeding seabirds and overwintering waterfowl and waders The Government recognises the economic, social and intrinsic value of a healthy marine environment and is committed to halting the loss of biodiversity and restoring it, so far as this is feasible. A healthy marine environment provides many valuable goods and services such as recycling nutrients, breaking down waste and capturing and fixing carbon. These processes are enhanced by the diversity of the organisms in our seas, their abundance and the ecosystem services they provide.
However, many habitats and species are subject to pressure from human activities. Some important habitats and species are declining and a number of commercial fish stocks are under pressure. What are Marine Protected Areas? Marine Protected Area (MPA) is a generic term to describe the range of sites designated to protect the marine environment. The MPA network will consist of: · nationally designated Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), · two types of European designations - Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) designated under the EU Habitats Directive, and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated under the EU Wild Birds Directive; · marine elements of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs); and · sites designated under the Ramsar Convention. Working with the Devolved Administrations, the Government is committed to establishing a UK ecologically coherent network of MPAs by 2012 as part of a broad based approach to marine conservation. The MPA network will comprise existing MPAs as well as new sites. The network of national and EU sites will be a key contribution to achieving good environmental status as required by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and particularly in ensuring that our marine biodiversity is protected, conserved and, where appropriate, restored It will also contribute to other objectives of good environmental status such as the protection of sea-floor ecosystems. How long will it take for the MCZs to be designated? The current programme of Marine Conservation Zones in English territorial waters anticipates sites being designated in 2012. Natural England and JNCC were tasked by the Department to deliver recommendations on marine conservation zones by autumn 2011. They have set up four regional projects to undertake the work, which will report to both statutory bodies and the independent Science Advisory Panel at four key stages – June 2010 (their first set of draft proposals), October 2010 (second draft proposals) and, February 2011 (third set of draft proposals). The delivery partners will consider the final set of proposals and accompanying impact assessments (due to be sent to them in June 2011), and then make their recommendations to Ministers in October 2011. Stakeholders will have a further opportunity to comment on these recommendations during the planned public consultation that follows, before Ministers take their decisions and designate MCZs in 2012. Management of the MCZs will be undertaken by the newly established Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAS). The MCZs will be kept under regular review to ensure they are meeting their conservation objectives. What is the role of the Science Advisory Panel? The Marine Protected Areas Science Advisory Panel (SAP) was established in December 2009 by the Secretary of State, to answer concerns expressed by marine stakeholders that the regional projects did not contain sufficient varied scientific expertise to properly inform the site selection process. The independent Panel is made up of eight eminent marine scientists, with different backgrounds and specialism’s under the Chairmanship of Dr Peter Ryder. Dr Ryder has a background in oceanography and has considerable experience in chairing committees such as the SAP. The role of the SAP is to advise the projects whether the proposals they are working on are based on the best available science. As well as advising the projects throughout the process, the SAP will also report back to the projects at each draft iteration stage, and then advise Ministers whether the final recommendations put forward are scientifically viable. The Panel meets throughout the year, and their work is undertaken in an open and transparent way. Minutes of meetings are made publicly available, and the Panel is also happy to engage with anyone with an interest in their role. Questions for the SAP in the first instance should be made via Claire Herdman (claire.herdman@defra.gsi.gov.uk) who provides Secretariat support to the Panel. Further information Further information on Marine Conservation Zones can be found at the following websites: Natural England: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/marine/protectandmanage/mpa/mcz/default.aspx Joint Nature Conservation Committee: |
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| ©Parliamentary copyright | Prepared 16th November 2010 |