Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2012 | Page 84

COUNTRY LIFE

Sea hare on seagrass by Alison Mayor

Vital time for our
seas and wildlife
By Jolyon Chesworth, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
It’s a really important time for our
seas and its wildlife. We are in the
middle of the process that is setting up
Marine Conservation Zones. Jolyon
Chesworth, Hampshire & Isle of
Wight Wildlife Trust, describes some
of the areas of the sea that we hope
will be protected.
The Marine and Coastal Access
Act 2009 marked a crucial change
in the way we manage and protect
our marine environment. It gave the
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Government powers to designate a
coherent network of Marine Protected
Areas – essentially nature reserves
at sea – by the end of 2012. These
Marine Protected Areas include
Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs),
which are a new and specific type of
protected area.
Some of these protected sites will
have small sub-areas within them that
will benefit from the highest levels
of protection. These Reference Areas

are vital, as they will allow marine life
to recover fully from past damaging
activities and provide a reference by
which to assess the success of the wider
protected area network. However, they
can be controversial due to the high
level of protection and what this may
mean for sea users.
In south east England, the
Government-funded project Balanced
Seas has been managing the process
of recommending where MCZs and