Almost a year ago Defra published a list of 37 potential Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) that were in the running for possible designation in 2015. I talked about them here as being ‘the gap fillers’; the sites that would help to ensure we had a more comprehensive network of sites protecting our marine wildlife. We knew that they weren’t all going to go forward but the final list of 23 announced today is a disappointment because of the absence of some really important sites around the Isle of Wight and Studland Bay in Dorset.
Much time and effort has already gone into making sure that these MCZs can meet many different needs and viewpoints; and clearly some disagreement remains about the need for MCZs in some locations. The fact is that our seas need greater protection from human activities. They could be so much more productive and so much richer in life if we are prepared to take difficult decisions now.
Unfortunately, Government have played a straight bat on this round, leaving these difficult decisions for a point in the future when they will designate a third and final tranche.
I am particularly sorry to see that only one of the MCZs on the Isle of Wight going forward, with four being held back. Studland Bay is also notable for its absence; and the reasons are the same in both cases. The Solent (the area of Sea around the Isle of Wight) and Poole Harbour near Studland are both hugely popular for sailing and boating, and there is concern amongst these communities that MCZs could curtail these activities.
The fact is that solutions can be found to make sure that boating and sailing can continue and our wildlife protected. In some cases opposition is founded on fears that simply sailing over the top of an MCZ would be stopped-which it wouldn’t of course. As the Environmental Audit Committee pointed out in June last year, better communication will help to ensure local stakeholders understand the reasons for MCZs and their likely implications to their activities.
The use of permanent mooring buoys could be used to reduce impact to sites which are highly sensitive and heavily used by anchoring day boats. This is a technique that is used in sensitive coral reef sites in places such as the Seychelles, Florida and Australia. I really hope that the boating community can work together with Government agencies to find a solution that can ensure that these sites can be properly protected and continue to be enjoyed and visited at the same time.
On a positive note, it is good to see sites such as Lands End in Cornwall, Hartland Point in North Devon, Cromer in Norfolk and the Farne Islands off Northumberland making the penultimate hurdle towards protection.
We know that there is going to be a third tranche at some point in the future. In my blog last year I called this the one where we ‘mop up’. It’s going to have to be a lot more than that now since many of the most difficult issues have been postponed to be dealt with later.
This ‘mop up’ will now have to include some of the most crucial elements of our network toensure that the network:
Here is the list of sites that are the focus of the consultation over the coming weeks. They will need your support to make sure that they make it home:
North Sea
Coquet to St Marys
Farnes East
Fulmar
Runswick Bay
Holderness Inshore
Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds
English Channel
Swale Estuary
Dover to Deal
Dover to Folkstone
Offshore Brighton
Offshore Overfalls
Utopia
The Needles
South West
Western Channel
Mounts Bay
Lands End
NW Jones Bank
Greater Haig Fras
Newquay and Gannel
Hartland Point to Tintagel
Bideford to Foreland Point
Irish Sea
West of Walney
Allonby Bay