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Offshore Regulations General Implementation Report and Technical Annex for the Reporting Period 2019–2024: UK Offshore Marine Area 2026

Abstract

This is the first UK report under Regulation 6A of the Offshore Regulations (2017) (hereafter referred to as ‘the Offshore Regulations’), covering the period 2019–2024. It replaces previous EU reporting under the Habitats and Birds Directives following the UK’s exit from the EU. The report focuses on the implementation of measures to protect nationally important habitats and species in the UK offshore marine area.

Offshore Regulations General Implementation Report for the Reporting Period 2019–2024: UK Offshore Marine Area

The General Implementation Report for the Reporting Period 2019–2024 is the first report under Regulation 6A of the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended). These ‘Offshore Regulations’ provide part of the legal framework to meet the UK’s conservation objectives for nationally important habitats and species within the UK offshore marine area. To support transparency and accountability, Regulation 6A requires a report every six years on the implementation of these duties within the UK’s offshore marine area.

This supersedes the UK’s previous reporting under Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive and Article 12 of the EU Wild Birds Directive. The report focuses on the implementation of measures to protect nationally important habitats and species in the UK offshore marine area between 2019 and 2024.

The UK offshore marine area extends beyond 12 nautical miles from the shore and covers 72.2 million hectares of the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone and the UK continental shelf. This Offshore Regulations General Implementation Report supports equivalent reporting for nationally important habitats and species within terrestrial and inshore areas, under the Habitats Regulations. Habitats Regulations reports for the period 2019–2024 were published in January 2026, separately for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This Offshore Regulations General Implementation Report presents a summary of the current status, pressures, and measures implemented to protect resident Annex I habitats, Annex II, IV & V species, and all relevant wild bird species. In the UK offshore marine area, this includes 3 marine habitats, 17 marine mammal species, 15 seabird species, and one species of marine turtle. The Technical Annex to the report (see below) contains more detailed information on all aspects covered by the report. More detailed assessments of conservation status can be found in the habitats and species feature reports.

Technical Annex to Offshore Regulations General Implementation Report for the Reporting period 2019–2024: UK Offshore Area

The Technical Annex provides more detailed information than contained in the UK Offshore Implementation Report. It includes sections describing:

  1. Surveillance in place to assess the conservation status of nationally important habitats and species
  2. The extent to which Favourable Conservation Status has been achieved
  3. The offshore marine protected areas network
  4. Pressures affecting the offshore marine environment
  5. Measures taken to achieve conservation objectives

The Appendices of the Technical Annex to the Offshore General Implementation Report provide a summary of the legislative requirements for the report and in what sections each requirement is addressed, and more detailed information on the outcomes of the OSPAR Indicator used in assessing effectiveness of measures:

  • Appendix 1 – Legislative Requirements Mapping.
  • Appendix 2 – OSPAR Management Status Reporting used in the Management Effectiveness of Protected and Conserved Areas (MEPCA) Indicator for the UK in 2025.

For further information, visit the Habitats Regulations Reporting for the period 2019 to 2024 webpage.

These resources may not be fully accessible for all users. If you need copies in a different or more accessible format, please contact Communications@jncc.gov.uk.

Resource type Publication

Topic category Environment

Reference date 2026·01·22

Citation
Mitchell, I., Kenworthy, J., Baulch, V., Cook, H., Martin, E. & Hardy, S. 2026. Offshore Regulations General Implementation Report for the Reporting period 2019–2024: UK Offshore Marine Area. JNCC Report 812A. JNCC, Peterborough, ISSN 0963-8091. Mitchell, I., Kenworthy, J., Baulch, V., Cook, H., Martin, E. & Hardy, S. 2026. Technical Annex to Offshore Regulations General Implementation Report for the Reporting period 2019–2024: UK Offshore Marine Area. JNCC Report 812B. JNCC, Peterborough, ISSN 0963-8091.

Lineage
This report was produced by JNCC in collaboration with the Department for Environment, Fisheries & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland.

Responsible organisation
Communications, JNCC publisher

Limitations on public access No limitations

Use constraints Available under the Open Government Licence 3.0

Metadata date 2026·01·22

Metadata point of contact
Communications, JNCC

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