Progress report for
Marine Protected Areas in the UK and our Overseas Territories
Achievement at a glance
The UK is at the forefront of marine protection, achieving a network of 357 MPAs, protecting 36% of UK waters.<br>
<br>To conserve and improve our protected marine sites, England designated the third tranche of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones (2019). This tranche completes the English contribution to the international ecologically-coherent network of MPAs for habitat and species representation.
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<br>In Wales, the coherence of the MPA Network has been strengthened with the designation of three large areas for the conservation of harbour porpoise and 6 additional marine areas for seabirds. The Welsh Government created an MPA Network Management Framework with an annual action plan to ensure Welsh MPAs are effectively managed and continue to contribute to the conservation and improvement of the marine environment.
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<br>In Northern Ireland, an assessment of the network completed by UK JNCC (2018) concluded that the current suite is very close to delivering an ecologically coherent network in Northern Ireland.
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<br>In Scottish waters, the Scottish Government designated the West of Scotland MPA (2020), which is the largest MPA located in national waters in the North East Atlantic, at 107000 km2. Protected features of the site include 10 habitats and species from the OSPAR Threatened and Declining list.
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<br>Overseas Territories:
<br>To date, over 3 million km2 of British waters have been designated as MPAs, including around the Pitcairn Islands, St Helena, British Indian Ocean Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and within the British Antarctic Territory.
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<br>Since 2017 Ascension Island formally designated an MPA, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands also undertook a 5 year review of its MPA putting in place further protective measures. Tristan da Cunha will be announcing its marine protection strategy by the end of 2020. This will ensure protection of over 4 million km2 of ocean around the British OTs.
Challenges faced in implementation
Domestic:<br>Activities that are damaging to designated features are not permitted in the MPAs. We have made progress in applying management measures in English inshore waters. 93 inshore MPAs, covering an area of over 4,500 square kilometres, now have measures in place protecting sensitive features. In Scotland, 99 inshore MPAs are covered by management measures, of which 25 are specifically for nature conservation purposes. Protection does not always mean closure to fishing. Regulators use a range of tools to manage and where necessary restrict fishing to meet the conservation objectives. Management is always based on the best available scientific evidence and, if the evidence is uncertain or limited, we expect regulators to take precautionary preventative action.
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<br>One of the biggest challenges for the UK is securing other countries’ endorsement for offshore MPA management measures through the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) process. This requirement will end after the Transition Period. The Fisheries Bill proposes new powers enabling the UK to implement management measures both within our MPAs and across UK waters.
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<br>Overseas Territories:
<br>Small, remote Overseas Territories are heavily reliant on natural resources for food security and often underpins their fragile marine economies. In these scenarios it is essential that protective measures are balanced with sustainable economic development.
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<br>Capacity and expertise in the Overseas Territories is very limited to take forward new initiatives and so are reliant on long-term support for the management, monitoring and enforcement of maritime areas. Sustainable financing will be key to provide long-term surety.
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<br>Monitoring and enforcing remote MPAs has been challenging. Further investment in new technology such as satellite surveillance, unmanned remote aerial or underwater vehicles necessary to ensure MPAs are effectively managed.
Beneficiaries
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