Those who have an interest in the the future of the seas around our coastline are being urged to have their say about the future of the seas and marine life before it’s too late. We have until autumn 2010 to come forward and share their information and observations about the areas of sea we use, so that leisure interests can be taken into account in the planning of new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).
MCZs will protect nationally important marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology and will have a range of protection levels that reflect the level to which a particular habitat or wider ecosystem needs to be safeguarded.
Four projects have been set up to work with both leisure and commercial sea users to make recommendations for MCZs - Balanced Seas, Finding Sanctuary, Net Gain and Irish Sea Conservation Zone. These cover the inshore waters of England and the offshore waters of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Together they form the Marine Conservation Zone Project, which Defra, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Natural England have set up.
Central to all four projects are stakeholder groups incorporating a wide range of water users and interest groups that will make recommendations for MCZs to Government in June 2011. Local groups will work alongside the stakeholder groups so that local information and views can also be considered.
The MCZ projects want to work with recreational boaters to ensure that the best result is achieved for everyone involved. They are collecting information about where people go at sea to create maps of commercial and leisure activity for each region.
The projects are looking for input from a wide range of leisure sea users who could find their activities affected by the creation of new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). Possible restrictions could include no stopping areas, etc.
Any club, association or individual who wants to contribute information can do so by contacting their relevant MCZ project.
Do have your say ... This is your chance to shape the future.
The projects are:-
Balanced Seas (South-east) Net Gain (North Sea)
www.balancedseas.org
www.netgainmcz.org
Email:
[email protected] Email:
[email protected]
Tel: 01227 827 839 Tel: 01482 382 007
Finding Sanctuary (South-west) Irish Sea Conservation Zones (Irish Sea)
www.mczmapping.org www.irishseaconservation.org.uk
www.finding-sanctuary.org Email:
[email protected]
Email:
[email protected] Tel: 01925 813 200
Tel: 01392 878 327