The Marine Conservation Zone Project
The Marine Conservation Zone Project has been established by
Defra,
Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to
identify and recommend Marine Conservation Zones to
Government.
The Marine Conservation Zone Project will be
delivered through four Regional Projects covering the South-West,
Irish Sea, North Sea and Eastern Channel (see map for the areas of
sea the projects will work in). They will work with sea
users and interest groups to identify Marine Conservation
Zones and provide recommendations for sites within their regions to
Government.
We have produced an information document on
the Marine Conservation Zone
Project. This will be periodically updated as the project
progresses.
Natural England and JNCC are providing statutory advice on how
MCZs should be selected within the MCZ Project area. This advice is
set out in the Ecological Network Guidance and the regional
stakeholder groups will use this guidance to develop their
recommendations. Government will use these recommendations as a
basis for selecting MCZs for designation in 2012. A draft version of the Guidance
is currently available. A final version of the Guidance will be
available in June 2010.