The wildlife in England’s seas are facing a serious threat, warns Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
The long-awaited network of marine protected areas, promised by Government for 2012, is in danger. Norfolk Wildlife Trust is urging the public to write to Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries, Richard Benyon MP, in support of Marine Conservation Zones.
After years of pressure from NGOs, and with huge public support, the Marine and Coastal Access Act of 2009 promised a coherent network of protection around the coasts by 2012. Now 127 marine sites around England’s coast, including Cromer Shoal Chalk Reef, have been recommended by four regional stakeholder groups to become Marine Conservation Zones next year.
The recommendations are the result of two years of consultation with more than one million stakeholders involved including fishermen, conservationists and businesses. This has been the first ‘Big Society’ experiment where local stakeholders have decided together which areas of the sea should be protected.
There is concern that Government’s Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee) will recommend to Government that only a fraction of the 127 recommended sites are designated. This would result in a much smaller and less effective network of Marine Conservation Zones, leaving vulnerable and precious areas unprotected.
Brendan Joyce, Chief Executive of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, said: “A huge amount of work has been done to get a broad agreement on this network of sites needed for the health and future productivity of our marine environment. Now, however, in the final stages the Government has lost its direction and is proposing to over-ride the recommendations of local stakeholders and cut the 127 sites down to an unrealistic 30 in contradiction with the aims of the new Marine and Coastal Access Act.”
The recommended sites in Norfolk are: Cromer Shoal Chalk Reef, which runs for 30km along the north Norfolk coast and is now thought to be the longest in Europe. Recent underwater surveys have shown the reef to be a biodiversity hotspot, rich in marine life and home to a species of sponge that was previously unknown to science. A recent television documentary highlighted the importance of the reef for both wildlife and local crab and lobster fisheries.
Brendan added: “With Wildlife Trusts all around the UK, we are lobbying hard for the successful completion of a process that will make the difference between the life or death of our seas. We need to demonstrate the weight of public support for Marine Conservation Zones to Government. This is a once in a lifetime chance. We can’t afford to let it slip away.”
Act today - our recommended network of 127 Marine Conservation Zones is under threat right now!
We need to demonstrate the importance and urgency of the Marine Conservation Zone network to the Parliament Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries, Richard Benyon MP today, and ensure that Defra does not reduce the number of Marine Conservation Zones going forward for consultation in 2012 now.
We would be very grateful if you could
email or write to the Minister (
download a template here), highlighting your concerns. You can also sign our Petition Fish campaign and join our Save our Seas online community. Read more at
www.wildlifetrusts.org/saveourmczs
Richard Benyon MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Defra
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
image: Petition Fish at NWT Cley Marshes