Marine Protected Areas

Our demand for resources from the sea, be they food, energy or materials, have affected the quality of the marine environment in parts of the UK's seas. There is a clear need to keep our demands for these resources within the capacity of the marine environment to continue to deliver our needs. All human activities require careful and sympathetic management to maintain and where appropriate, restore the marine environment's capacity to meet our needs.

Bedrock Reef within Solan Bank Area of Search © JNCC

Bedrock Reef at Wight-Barfleur Area of Search © Crown Copyright

Iceberg Ploughmark Stony Reef at Wyville Thomson Ridge © Crown Copyright

Common Starfish <i>Asterias rubens</i> with Crab <i>Liocarnus</i> spp at Dogger Bank © JNCC

Cold Water Coral <i>Lophelia pertusa</i> at Hatton Bank Draft SAC, as found at Darwin Mounds © DTI, Defra

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A component of delivering this aim is the UK Government and Devolved Administration's commitment to establish an ecologically coherent and well-managed network of marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2012. This means the MPA network will be a collection of areas that work together to provide more benefits than an individual area could on its own. Such a network will enable the UK to meet commitments under international conventions and contribute to measures aimed at achieving good environmental status in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The UK MPA network will comprise Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated under the Habitats and Birds Directives, and new national MPAs, which the UK Government and Devolved Administrations propose to introduce through the forthcoming Marine Acts¹. To provide further information on all of the different types of MPA in the UK, JNCC have produced a document called "Different Types of Marine Protected Area". This document will be regularly updated as the situation progresses.

Further information on terrestrial and freshwater Protected Areas is available.

Latest Marine Protected Areas News

The survey report from the April 2008 survey of Dogger Bank is now available on the JNCC website. Dogger Bank was recommended to Government as a draft SAC following analysis of the data collected on the survey.

JNCC welcomes the appointment of Dr. Peter Ryder to the Chair of an independent Science Advisory Panel on the selection of Marine Conservation Zones.

On 27^th November 2009 JNCC started a three month formal consultation in conjunction with Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales on 10 possible Special Areas of Conservation and two potential Special Protection Areas. Five of these sites lie partly or completely in UK offshore waters. More information on the formal consultation and how to respond to it is available on our consultation page.

JNCC welcomes the passing of the Marine and Coastal Access Act which is a big step forwards in the sustainable use of our seas and paves the way for increasing the protection of marine species and habitats of national importance through protected areas. JNCC will be working in partnership with Defra and Natural England to deliver the Marine Conservation Zone Project and with Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage to deliver the Scottish Marine Protected Area Project.

¹ The Marine and Coastal Access Act received Royal Assent on 12^th November 2009; the Scottish Marine Act received Royal Assent on 10^th March 2010; and the Northern Ireland Assembly will introduce a bill in 2012.