CCU 7^th Floor

Eastbury House

30-34 Albert Embankment

London

SE1 7TL

Email: [email address]

Website: www.defra.gov.uk

Dear Mr Holmes,

Marine reserves

Thank you for your email of 20 December asking for the introduction of marine reserves around the UK.

The UK is a world leader in many aspects of marine management and protection and as our seas are some of the busiest in the world, demands on their resources are increasing. With so much going on at sea and around our coastline, there is a real need to create a more effective framework to ensure that we can make the best sustainable use of our marine resources. The Marine and Coastal Access Bill will help us do that. It will be the first of its kind in the world. No other country has attempted such a strategic approach to the enormously complex issue of marine management.

I am pleased to confirm that the Government introduced the Marine & Coastal Access Bill into the House of Lords on 4 December 2008.

The Bill includes a number of provisions that will protect our seas and respond to the concerns raised in your letter. The marine conservation proposals in the Bill provide for the designation and protection of a new type of marine protected area - Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) - which will help the UK meet our commitment to establishing an ecologically coherent and well managed network of marine protected areas by 2012. We intend, therefore, to designate MCZs for rare and threatened habitats and species, as well as for those which are representative of the biodiversity found in our seas. In addition, we are including a new duty in the Bill which will require Ministers to report to Parliament on progress in establishing the network.

There has been much discussion about the proportion of the sea that might need to be designated as part of the network of marine protected areas. Experts have suggested differing figures based on different assumptions and criteria. We have not included a prescribed target on the face of the Bill, as further detailed research still needs to be carried out with key stakeholders before we know what proportion of the sea needs protection. This approach has been endorsed by both the Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament.

Although we do not intend to use the new MCZ mechanism as a fisheries management tool, we accept that fishing activities may sometimes need to be managed within MCZs in order for sites to achieve their conservation objectives. Furthermore, we recognise that MCZs may potentially have beneficial spin-off effects for the conservation of fish stocks, and we will seek to maximise the benefits from potential synergies where they exist.

I hope that you find this letter informative.

Yours sincerely,

Benjamin Rees

Defra - Customer Contact Unit