The JNCC MPA mapper is an interactive resource containing information on the marine protected areas (MPAs) designated in UK waters. Further information on these sites can be found on the
JNCC Marine Protected Areas page.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (
JNCC) provides scientific advice on MPAs in offshore waters (beyond 12 miles from the coast). Along with MPA boundaries for all MPAs, the mapper includes information regarding the distribution of the protected features for offshore MPAs. This will continually be updated and made available for download as part of JNCC's work to pursue
Open Government Licence arrangements for offshore data.
If a layer can be downloaded, a green button with an arrow will be present next to the layer name. In due course a downloads page will be created. Layers from MPA mapper can be viewed on other web mapping portals or desktop GIS systems using
Web Map Service (WMS). Help with using the various tools can be found on the
MPA mapper help page and
FAQs.