Government rejects 75% of UK Marine Protected Areas

NO PROTECTION: Seabirds, including shags, will now be given no protection. Picture: RSPB / Andy Hay

Outrage as marine protected area project is scaled back

November 2011: The Government's announcement that less than a quarter of the proposed list of 127 marine protected areas are to be designated has been greeted with dismay by the RSPB.

Kate Sugar, a marine policy officer with the charity, said: ‘Two years ago, we were delighted that the importance of marine conservation - the Cinderella of UK wildlife protection - was finally recognised with the introduction of the UK Marine & Coastal Access Act.

‘However, the latest position looks like Cinderella has returned from riches to rags - as far as English water are concerned - as the Government shows no ambition for providing a comprehensive network of marine protected sites to protect species as diverse as seahorses, corals, seabirds, whales and dolphins in a timely fashion.'

How can the Government claim to be delivering an ecologically coherent network?
Apart from the reduction of the number of proposed marine protected sites that will be designated in a first tranche, the RSPB is concerned there are no guarantees about when further sites will be put forward. 

The RSPB's conservation director, Martin Harper, said: ‘We do not understand how Government can still claim to be delivering an ecologically-coherent network, and to be a world leader on marine protected area designation, when there is so much uncertainty around. There is no clear business plan for completing either the English Marine Conservation Zone network or designating sites of European importance, and the international 2012 deadline will be missed.'

Even the full complement of 127 marine conservation zones does not include many sites proposed for mobile species, such as basking sharks, dolphins and seabirds - and some vitally important seabird sites were excluded from the proposals from the outset. The RSPB is very concerned there will be nothing left in the English marine conservation zone network for seabirds at all, and the benefits for other marine wildlife will be dramatically reduced.

'It is hard not to feel short-changed'
Among the omissions is the Flamborough-Helgoland Front, stretching offshore from Yorkshire 's Flamborough Head. This site is known as an area of food-rich waters, important for a whole range of marine wildlife, including seabirds, including kittiwakes, puffins, gannets, razorbills and guillemots.

Martin added: ‘To achieve true coherence, sites such as the Flamborough-Helgoland Front should be included in the marine conservation zone network. A network cannot be ecologically coherent if it doesn't cover all marine wildlife.'

The stumbling block appears to be a lack of supporting evidence for the sites, but the RSPB says the paucity of marine data is news to no-one. From the outset, the English regional projects were set up to work on the basis of "best available evidence", and while this may not be perfect, the RSPB believes it is enough to support site designation in many locations.

Martin added: ‘It is hard not to feel short-changed by Government. We have committed time, energy and money towards achieving comprehensive marine protection for example with our own work in furthering marine research.'

The FAME project (Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment) is an innovative project involving the RSPB which uses GPS tags to collect valuable new evidence about the areas of sea that seabirds use, especially where they forage for food. ‘While wanting to wear the mantle of "Greenest Government Ever", our Government seems strangely reluctant to invest in and come up with a convincing business plan to deliver the commitment for protecting our seas,' said Martin.