Marine Protected Areas

The UK MPA network

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) describe a wide range of marine areas which "have some level of restriction of activity to protect living, non-living, cultural and/or historic resources”¹. They have been designated primarily to “help conserve or recover nationally significant or representative examples of marine biodiversity, including threatened or declining species and habitats of European and national importance”¹. The Government has committed to delivering a Blue Belt of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) around our coasts, to protect important species, habitats and geological features². This Blue Belt of MPAs forms part of an international network of MPAs in the north east Atlantic, contributing to our commitments under OSPAR. 

OSPAR define an MPA as “an area within the maritime area for which protective, conservation, restorative or precautionary measures, consistent with international law have been instituted for the purpose of protecting and conserving species, habitats, ecosystems or ecological processes of the marine environment.”³  

The UK has committed to establish an ecologically coherent network of well-managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), that will work together to provide more benefits than each individual area could on its own.

UK commitments to MPAs include in the Marine Policy Statement, Biodiversity 2020, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (or see here, here, or here), the Convention on Biological Diversity (or see further information from the JNCC), the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, and the Oslo and Paris Convention (OSPAR) (or see further information from the JNCC). The UK’s approach to establishing an ecologically coherent network of MPAs in the North East Atlantic, underpinned by OSPAR guidance, is laid out in the Joint Administrations Statement¹. 

The MPA network includes designations under national and European legislation, and international conventions: 

• Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and Nature Conservation MPAs in Scottish waters, are UK designations under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, and the Marine Act (Northern Ireland) 2013, and include nationally important marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology. 
• Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs; Northern Ireland), are UK designations under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002, which protect habitats and species of national importance.  
• Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are European designations under the EU Habitats Directive which protect habitats and species of European importance.  
• Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are European designations under the EU Birds Directive which protect bird species of international importance. 
• Ramsar sites are international designations under the Ramsar Convention which protect wetlands of international importance.              

As of May 2019 approximately 25% of UK waters are currently within MPAs. There are 115 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) with marine components, 109 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) with marine components, 97 Marine Conservation Zones, and 31 Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas⁴.

The UK has 283 OSPAR MPAs, which can be seen on the OSPAR interactive map. To see whether you’re in an MPA, or where they are, you can look on:

• Magic Map;
• MMO interactive map;
• JNCC map;
• National Marine Plan Interactive (Scotland); and
• NIEA interactive map (Northern Ireland).

You can also search designated sites databases through Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, and Scottish Natural Heritage.

MPA Management 

For most MPAs, current management relating to activities such as recreational boating consists of monitoring. For further information on site-specific management, look at the MMO strategic management table. 

The RYA position

The RYA supports the UK and Devolved Governments’ shared vision for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. We recognise that establishing an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas would contribute towards achieving this vision. The RYA believes that in most cases this vision can be achieved without any adverse effect on either the public right or the safety of navigation for recreational boating. 

We believe there are three key issues that are critical to recreational boating interests in both the designation and management of marine protected areas (MPAs). These are:  

1. The impact of MPAs on legitimate uses of the sea 
2. The need for objective and robust evidence in the decision-making process 
3. The proportionality, enforceability and effectiveness of proposals 

The Future

The RYA has given evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the UK and the Overseas Territories. The inquiry is examining the Government’s current progress so far on implementing MPAs, and ask what more it needs to do to meet its manifesto commitment. It will follow-up on the recommendations made in its previous reports and it will undertake post-legislative scrutiny of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. This follows on from the previous Committee’s reports into Marine Protected Areas and Sustainability in the UK Overseas Territories. 

The RYA will continue to be involved in any future designations. 

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