MCZs England
Government releases public consultation detailing their proposals for MCZs around the coast of England.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has released its public consultation on proposed MCZs around the coast of England. Based on the recommendations from the four regional projects (Finding Sanctuary, Balanced Seas, Net Gain and the Irish Sea Conservation Zone Project) and advice from Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, this consultation proposes 31 sites for designation in 2013, with further sites planned for designation at some point in the future.
As well as identifying proposed boundaries for these sites, the consultation also recommends conservation objectives for the different features to be protected by each site. It does not however provide detail on how each site will be managed and any measures noted in this consultation document are only for illustrative purposes and to allow for cost calculations in the Impact Assessment.
Once a site has been designated it will be the duty of the appropriate public authority to determine what management measures, if any, will be required to protect the features within the MCZ.
The most controversial elements of the MCZ process, Reference Area (RA) recommendations, have not been considered for inclusion in the first tranche. The consultation does however make note of Defra’s intended review of their approach to the designation of RAs. The review will consider the requirements for RAs (including size, number, location and management measures) and will be undertaken drawing on existing literature and experience from other countries. Further information on how this review will be carried out will be released shortly.
How is the RYA responding?
The RYA is now working to develop a detailed and robust response to this consultation. This will include our views on Defra's approach to designation as well as highlighting any objections we have to individual proposed sites. This builds upon the RYA’s Position on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and our engagement on MCZs over the past three years.
Information on the background to this consultation and the RYA’s engagement to date can be found here.
What are the RYA’s views?
The RYA is broadly supportive of the UK Government’s plans to establish a coherent network of marine protected areas to achieve their goal of ‘clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas’. In particular, the RYA welcomes the provisions in the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 that enable Ministers to take socio-economic factors into account when designating new marine protected areas (Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in England and Wales).
The RYA’s primary objectives of engaging in the consultation process regarding the development of MCZs are to protect the public right of navigation and to ensure, as far as possible, that recreational boating interests are not adversely affected by the designation of such MCZs. The ‘Additional Guidance for regional MCZ projects on planning for areas where licensed, planned or existing socio-economic activities occur’ published by JNCC and Natural England in July 2010 states that ‘there should be fair treatment of the range of socio-economic interests throughout the planning process’. The RYA believes that this approach should be encouraged in all MCZ planning and understands that effective dialogue between stakeholders and UK Government is essential to facilitate this.
As the Government has committed to taking socio-economic impacts into consideration whilst designating MCZs, in our view it is inappropriate to seek stakeholder input in a public consultation without provision of the full information required to reach an informed opinion.
Although the RYA has a number of concerns about the process by which MCZs were identified around England, of the 31 sites proposed in the consultation document for designation in 2013, we only have strong concerns about 1 site - the Aln Estuary recommended MCZ (rMCZ).
We also hold concerns about other sites that are being considered for designation at a later date. A summary of our general and site specific concerns can be viewed through the following links:
How can you get involved?
At a national level, the RYA will focus on issues of safety of navigation and socio-economics together with impacts on recreational boating amenity. The RYA will also make representations in relation to specific sites as outlined on our website.
However, individual clubs and members may have additional locally specific points covering a wide range of issues and the RYA would encourage you to provide this information directly to Defra for consideration by Government. The public consultation is open to everyone who wishes to respond and the full consultation document together with instructions on how to submit comments is available here.
Although this particular consultation seeks views on the 31 sites being recommended for designation in 2013, Defra would welcome comments on all other sites being considered. They are also keen to receive general comments, particularly in relation to the approach to Reference Areas.
If you wish to support the RYA’s submissions on any of our general or site specific concerns please feel free to use the content of these webpages in your own response to the consultation.
Contact UsArticle Published: March 07, 2011 16:40
Article Updated: September 03, 2013 8:42