Government pledges 41
11,000 sq km of newly-protected areas announced
The government has recently pledged to create 41 new Marine Conservation Zones around Britain ’ s coastline , as part of its wider ocean conservation strategy . The new designations will constitute the biggest expansion of the UK ’ s ‘ blue belt ’ of protected areas ever undertaken .
The announcement was made on World Oceans Day , June 8th , which encourages people to take action to improve the health of the world ’ s oceans .
A six-week consultation has now been completed , after which the Department for Environment , Food and Rural Affairs ( Defra ) intends to designate some 11,000 sq km of coastline as newly protected – bringing the total area to 220,000 sq km , or two-fifths of the country ’ s coastline .
In most cases this vision can be achieved without any adverse effect on either the public right or the safety of navigation for recreational boating .
Restricted activities
When the new areas are assigned Marine Conservation Zones , no new activities that are deemed damaging to marine environments will be allowed to take place . This includes dredging , coastal or offshore development , and a number of other activities which can cause physical changes to marine environments .
Further , some designations have and will be made to areas where rare or endangered species make their habitats .
Under the programme , these areas and the threatened species that live there will receive specific protections . This can include restrictions on anchoring and certain types of moorings .
The information and practical advice on this remains vague and can be subject to rumour and hearsay . Hopefully it will be clarified before too long !
The government has already created 50 protected zones , with 27 designated in 2013 and another 23 three years later .
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