Marine Protected Areas

Welsh

Marine Conservation Zones in Wales

Establishing MCZs in Wales is an important opportunity to protect and recover Welsh marine wildlife. The aim is to conserve areas of the sea to protect the diversity of rare, threatened and representative habitats and species and help to ensure long-term sustainability of marine resources in our seas.

In Wales the project is being delivered through the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) Marine Team. Unlike the other MCZs being set up around the UK, WAG have opted to only set up highly protected MCZs, as 36% of marine areas and 70% of the coast in Wales are already within Special Area's of Conservation (such as Cardigan Bay SAC) and Special Protected Areas (such as Bury Inlet SPA).

MCS and Marine Conservation Zones

Our seas are rich in wildlife, and hidden beneath the waves are beautiful and varied undersea landscapes. However many of our nationally important habitats and species are threatened or in decline and it is vital that we take action now to help protect and recover our marine environment. MCS is working to represent your interests and help ensure better protection for our seas. All the information gathered through MCS' Your Seas Your Voice campaign will be passed on to WAG as they develop ideas for where the new highly protected MCZs will be located.

Marine Conservation Zones

Marine Conservation Zones are a new type of Marine Protected Area (MPA) introduced through the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act. MCZs will protect nationally important marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology. Sites will be selected around the UK both in inshore and offshore waters. In Wales inshore waters will be designated by Wag and offshore by DEFRA. MCZs, together with other types of MPA, will make up an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas by 2012. MCZs will have a range of protection levels that reflect the degree to which a particular habitat or wider ecosystem needs to be safeguarded.

Which Areas Will Be Protected?

Whilst the other MCZ projects have opted for a `bottom up` approach to establishing the network of MCZs, consulting widely with stakeholders so that this can provide a list of suggested sites for the ecologically coherent network, WAG are taking a different approach.

WAG will choose a draft list of proposed sites using site selection guidelines agreed upon by a Technical Advisory Group, and then widely consult with stakeholders over which sites to designate highly protected. MCS will respond to this consultation. However WAG have suggested they will only designate 3-4 small sites of 5km of less.

How MCS Members Are Getting Involved?

WAG have set up a Stakeholder and Citizen Engagement Group (SCEG) which is co-ordinated through the Wales Coastal and Maritime Partnership (WCMP). MCS is part of the SCEG and we can, through the Your Seas Your Voice campaign, bring your voice to the table. WAG have said they will use the data collected through the YSYV project at the site selection stage as part of the social and economic considerations, where applicable.

Many MCS supporters have excellent knowledge of their local areas and the plants and animals that inhabit them. In order to ensure MCZs are placed in the best locations, the Project needs to draw on this wealth of knowledge. If you have more information you would like to share with the WAG Marine Branch, please get in touch.

MCS have been granted some funding from Countryside Council for Wales to raise awareness of the need for MCZs around Wales. The MCS Welsh Officer has been giving presentations, attending events and meetings . We have also produced a leaflet outlining the benefits of MCZs and these are available to be distributed widely around Wales. Please contact MCS if you would like some copies sent out to you. We also have two banners (one English and one Welsh) which are also available for use at venues.

Contacts

WAG marine branch
marine@wales.gsi.gov.uk
http://tinyurl.com/2agkl4y

Wales Coastal & Maritime Partnership Officer
jill.brown@environment-agency.wales.gov.uk

Message from our sponsor: Fat Face loves life outside the 9-5 and being outdoors. So to do their bit to help protect the places we play in and get more people out there they've set up the Fat Face Foundation. The Foundation works with organisations to enable people to actively enjoy the outdoors and respect the environments we play in. Fat Face has always had the sea close to its heart and sees the link between the Foundation and the Marine Conservation Society as being a natural fit. The Fat Face Foundation has already adopted a beach to clean to be part of the fight against beach litter. The Foundation believes that we all have a part to play in protecting our seas as well, so is proudly supporting the Your Seas Your Voice campaign to highlight the lack of protected areas around the UK coasts and would urge individuals to do the same.

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