What are Marine Reserves?
Many of the new marine protected areas that will be designated around the UK will allow activities that don't damage the animals, plants or habitats that the sites have been set up to. MCS believes that these protected areas, where some, carefully managed activity is allowed, will benefit our seas and we fully support their designation. However, there are some questions about whether these areas of sea will fully recover so MCS believes that some areas should be completely protected to allow the entire ecosystem to recover and natural levels to be restored. Areas with this level of protection are known as Marine Reserves, Reference Areas (England), Highly Protected Marine Reserves or Highly protected Marine Conservation Zones (Wales).
All activities that extract living (e.g. fisheries) and non-living (e.g. aggregates, sand) resources as well as activities that could alter, disturb or change the ecosystem from its natural state, such as construction or development or physical disturbance to marine wildlife, are prohibited in Highly Protected Marine Reserves. Activities such as research, education and some leisure activities can be allowed as long as they are carefully controlled and have no negative impacts on the species and habitats the site has been set up to protect. Which activities are allowed depends on the conservation need of the animals, plants or habitats in question as decided by government. At many of the sites we have recommended on Your Seas Your Voice we have suggested a core Highly Protected area surrounded by a 'buffer' zone where non-damaging activities are allowed.
Will completely protecting some areas really make a difference?
The idea of fully protecting areas of the seabed and the plant and animal life that depends on them is not new. Trials around the world have shown that giving the seabed some breathing space by stopping any damaging or extractive activities can have amazing results. On average, diversity, or the variety of life, increases by 21% and biomass, (that's the actual 'volume' of life), increases by 466% inside marine reserves. Studies have also shown that fish, invertebrates and seaweeds are typically much bigger, and there are a lot more of them, inside marine reserves. As the seabed recovers it provides much better habitat for young fish and shellfish, and a safe haven for some species as they mature.
It sounds pretty obvious to say it, but fully protected areas at sea are 'leaky' - this means that the abundance of life is shown to spill out and benefit neighbouring areas. However a large proportion of animals remain in the boundary growing larger and more productive. Our seas have taken a battering over the last century, but may be amazingly forgiving. By offering much needed protection to important areas of our seas now, we could still ensure a diverse and productive future.
Below is a list of some of the most common activities that take place around our coast. Based on what is allowed in Highly Protected Marine Reserves in other parts of the world, this list will give you some idea of the types of activity that may or may not be allowed. Decisions about how all marine protected areas around our coast will be managed are being made as part of the government processes that are currently underway around the UK.
Activity | Permitted in full protection zones? |
|---|---|
Aquaculture | No |
Bait collection | No |
Recreational no-take diving, photography | Yes |
Commercial diving | Permit** |
Potting, creeling | No |
Limited collection (e.g. recreational divers collecting scallops;lobsters) | No |
Collection of man-made artifacts (e.g. on wrecks) | No |
Limited impact research (non extractive; non damaging) | Yes |
Spearfishing | No |
Demersal fishing (bottom trawling; dredging; all towed gears) | No |
Net fishing (pelagic; seine; set net; purse seine; beach seine; any net) | No |
Research (other than limited impact) | Permit** |
Shipping (navigational) under 10knots | Yes |
Shipping, boat anchorage (on sand with no living attached biogenic reef habitat; seagrass areas) | Yes* |
Shipping, boating anchorage (on sensitive habitat) | No* |
Jet skiing | No |
Tourism (observation without extraction, damage or disturbance) | Yes |
Angling | No |
Renewable energy development | No*** |
* - Unless in emergency.
** - Granted by the statutory nature conservation advisor (e.g. NI EHS; NE; SNH; CCW).
*** - Unless there is no alternative and the habitat is resilient enough to recover after the implementation phase of the array i.e. sandbanks are more appropriate than maerl or seagrass beds.
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