Irish Sea Conservation Zones BBC News Report by Colin Sykes

Irish Sea Conservation Zones news report Copyright BBC NORTH WEST TONIGHT. November 12 2009.
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 (MCZs) to Government. The Marine Conservation Zone Project will be delivered through four regional MCZ projects covering the south-west (Finding Sanctuary), Irish Sea (Irish Sea Conservation Zones), North Sea (Net Gain) and south-east (Balanced Seas). These regional MCZ projects will work with sea users and interest groups to identify MCZs and provide recommendations for sites within their regions to Government.

Natural England is the statutory conservation adviser for Government for England (including territorial waters) and is committed to delivering an ecologically coherent network of MPAs. It will commit time from its own specialist staff and research products to support the project as well as providing funding http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/

Joint Nature Conservation Committee is the statutory adviser to Government on UK and international nature conservation, on behalf of the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside, the Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage. Its work contributes to maintaining and enriching biological diversity, conserving geological features and sustaining natural systems. JNCC are also the statutory conservation adviser to Government for UK offshore waters (i.e. beyond 12 nautical miles). http://www.jncc.gov.uk/


The aims of the ISCZ Project are to designate MCZs that will help conserve and/or aid the recovery of marine ecosystems and biodiversity within the Irish Sea, and where possible, to take socio-economic factors into account in order to minimise adverse impacts on sea users and maximise benefits for society.

Contact us on www.irishseaconservation.org.uk or info@irishseaconservation.org.uk

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• Rowan Byrne
• DEFRA
• natural england
• JNCC