After a decade of campaigning, the Marine Conservation Society warmly welcomes the Marine and Coastal Access Act that is set for its final reading in the House of Lords today, with Royal Assent expected by Thursday.
Melissa Moore, MCS Senior Policy Officer said “This is a major milestone for marine conservation in the UK. We strongly welcome the Marine Act and congratulate government on producing it. Two years from now we will have a network of Marine Conservation Zones in place giving nature some space to recover.”
Under the new Marine and Coastal Access Act, the UK Government will have a duty to designate marine conservation zones (MCZs), which will include a range of protection levels including ‘no take’ marine reserves closed to damaging activities such as commercial fishing and dredging, and has committed to introduce a network of these zones by 2012. A Marine (Scotland) Bill is expected to be enacted in early 2010.
Earlier this week the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and The Co-operative Group unveiled suggestions as to where more than 70 new marine protected areas should be considered as a priority. The sites have been identified following six years of surveying work carried out by divers around the UK, and represent “the Jewels in the Crown” of UK marine wildlife sites.
Dr Jean-Luc Solandt, MCS Biodiversity Policy Officer said: “Our 73 recommended reserves would help protect a spectacular array of nationally important marine life and habitat, which many would be surprised to find in UK seas, from vibrant cold water corals to rare seahorses to giant basking sharks.” Arguably, these 73 sites are the jewels in the crown of our inshore waters and require consideration as a priority under the new Act.”
In UK seas there are 22 species of wildlife considered to be facing the threat of global extinction. Once common species such as common skate and Atlantic halibut are now listed as endangered.
MCS and The Co-operative are calling for 30 per cent of UK seas to be designated as marine reserves by 2020, which scientists say is required if fish stocks and the marine environment as a whole is to recover from decades of overfishing and habitat destruction.
The public is being asked to vote for the sites they would like to see protected at the MCS ‘Your Seas Your Voice’ website – accessed via www.mcsuk.org
