Marine Protected Areas

Why protect our seas?

More than 70 per cent of our planet is covered by water and our seas are home to over 8,500 plants and animals. This variety of life plays a key role in supporting a wide range of goods and services.

We know that human activities can adversely affect our environment. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are one of the tools that can be used to ensure such activities do not have an unacceptable environmental impact on the variety of life in our seas.

JNCC are analysing seabird distribution data for species such as this Northern fulmar (<i>Fulmarus glacialis</i>), to inform the identification of marine SPAs © Neil Golding

Yellow featherstars, pink anemones and orange brittlestars at Wyville Thomson Ridge, submitted to the European Commission as a candidate Special Area of Conservation in August 2010 © Crown Copyright

Long snouted seahorse (<i>Hippocampus guttulatus</i>) is listed as one of the features of conservation importance in the Ecological Network Guidance for the Marine Conservation Zone Project © Lin Baldock/Natural England

Cold water coral (<i>Lophelia pertusa</i>), seafans and featherstars at Anton Dohrn seamount, a previously unknown area of cold water coral reef that was discovered by JNCC on an offshore survey in July 2009 © JNCC

Bright pink jewel anemones (<i>Corynactis viridis</i>) are one of over 8,500 species that occur in UK seas. Our Marine Protected Area network will protect the full variety of life in our seas © Paul Kay

Spiny lobster (<i>Palinurus elephas</i>) can be protected by both Marine Conservation Zones and Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas © Alexander Mitchell

Our shared goal

The UK is committed to contributing to a well-managed network of MPAs by 2016. MPAs will protect marine life while allowing sustainable and legitimate use of our seas to continue.

The network of MPAs will ensure we meet our commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and contribute to measures aimed at achieving Good Environmental Status across Europe’s seas by 2020 under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Our responsibilities

JNCC is responsible for the identification of MPAs in UK offshore waters. This role includes providing advice to Government on the selection of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and Scottish MPAs.