MCZs England
Government announces another 37 sites being considered for the second tranche of MCZ designations around the coast of England.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has released an update on the first tranche of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) which have already been designated as well as announcing plans for the second tranche of English MCZs for designation in 2015. There are 37 sites currently being considered as candidates for the second tranche of MCZs and Defra have committed to including an indication of what management implications are likely to be during the consultation in 2015.
This update follows Defra’s public consultation on the first tranche of MCZs, 27 of which were designated in November 2013. These 27 sites were 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.
There is still no detail available on how each site will be managed but Defra’s recent update states “management measures for each of the 27 designated MCZs are being considered by the relevant public authorities. Any management will be applied on a site-by-site basis and will regulate only those activities which have a detrimental impact on protected features. Regulators are currently prioritising the sites according to the potential or actual adverse impacts of activities on the designated features, and management will be implemented first at sites most at risk of damage.”
4 of the 31 sites in the tranche one consultation were not designated in 2013, with 2 sites being subject to further consideration. The “Stour and Orwell Estuaries” site - which was of concern to the RYA due to the potential for restrictions on anchoring and mooring - was not designated due to strong socio-economic concerns and the presence of a number of other national and international environmental designations in the same area. This site is not being considered further for designation as an MCZ.
Defra went on to say “for the second tranche we will look to designate sites which address ‘big gaps’ within the network and which are likely to have sufficient supporting evidence. We have identified 37 sites from the Regional MCZ Project recommendations as suitable candidates for consideration for the second tranche.”
Reference Area (RA) recommendations, the most controversial elements of the MCZ process, have not been considered for inclusion in either the first or second tranche. Defra does however intend to commission a review of its approach to the designation of RAs, including both whether they are required from an ecological standpoint and if there is a legal basis for their implementation. 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. We await further information on how this review will be carried out, but it is expected to be completed by autumn 2014.
How is the RYA responding?
The RYA submitted a detailed and robust response to the public consultation on the tranche one MCZs. Following the latest Defra announcement regarding the tranche two MCZs, we have already begun to gather evidence in advance of the public consultation in 2015. Our response will build upon the RYA’s Position on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and our engagement on MCZs over the past four 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. 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 its 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 for the tranche two MCZs is expected to begin in early 2015 and will be open to everyone who wishes to respond.
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: March 07, 2014 11:14