This interactive map contains information on Marine Protected Areas in the UK. At the moment there are 107 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) with marine components, 107 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) with marine components, one Marine Conservation Zone and two Marine Nature Reserves*. Together these protect 8.4% of our waters.
JNCC and the four country conservation agencies have an ongoing programme of work to identify new Marine Protected Areas to create an ecologically coherent network. Further information on the ongoing work to identify
Marine Protected Areas in the UK is available on our website.
Marine Conservation Zone recommendations made by the regional MCZ projects are not yet designated MPAs and are therefore not displayed on this interactive map. These recommendations can be viewed on the
MCZ Project interactive map.
* There are also Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Ramsar sites that protect marine areas and will be included in the MPA network. These areas will be displayed on the Interactive Map in due course.