Today the government has launched a consultation asking the public for their views about protecting a new group of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) – areas at sea where wildlife is protected from damaging activities. 41 special places have been chosen for the public to comment on; these range from seagrass beds in Studland Bay, Dorset, to the gravel and sandy plains of Markham’s Triangle in the North Sea.

Joan Edwards, Director of Living Seas at The Wildlife Trusts says:
“We’ve been calling for the government to give real protection to a connected network of diverse sea-bed habitats since 2009. Only 50 have been designated so far and this new consultation on 41 special places is really good news."

"We need to restore the sea-bed that has been ravaged over the past century and allow fragile marine life to recover – and this can only be done with good management. Without these astonishing submerged landscapes there simply wouldn't be any fish, let alone fantastic jewel anemones, seahorses, and all the other wild and extraordinary creatures which are part of a healthy marine ecosystem.”

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust believes that the consultation is a big step in the right direction for England’s seas. Proper protection of these sites after designation will mean that our seas will be given the opportunity to recover. However, there is disappointment that several vital areas of deep mud (home to ocean quahog and sea pens in the Irish Sea and English Channel) and all the proposed sites off the Lincolnshire coast - are missing from the consultation.

The Wildlife Trusts are calling on the public to back the 41 potential Marine Conservation Zones in the consultation – details of how to do this will be added to the Trusts MCZ page below. The consultation closes on Friday 20th July 2018.

Support England's MCZs