The acquisition of new data may result in updates to our
knowledge on feature presence and extent within this site. The most
up to date information is reflected on the map on this page and in
JNCC’s MPA mapper and the evidence
underpinning this can be viewed in the Evidence
tab.
The diagram below is a summary of the key
milestones involved in the selection and designation of Greater
Haig Fras MCZ. More detail can be found within the relevant
documentation listed below.
The documents referred to below and any other historical
documents relating to Greater Haig Fras MCZ were produced
during the selection and designation process and therefore may be
out of date. This Site Information Centre is the most up to
date source of information for this MPA, and will reflect any
additional information gathered since these documents were
produced. Further information about the Marine Conservation Zone
site selection process and historic MCZ advice is available on the
JNCC MCZ pages.
Summary
Last updated: October 2017
Information for this site summary was adapted from the
Relevant Documentation and incorporates any
further information gathered since this advice was
produced.
Site overview
Greater Haig Fras MCZ is situated approximately 120km offshore
from the south west of England. It contains the geological feature,
the Haig Fras rock complex. This fully submarine granite outcrop
approximately 45km long and 15km wide runs diagonally through the
site. The area of continental shelf that surrounds this rock
outcrop presents a wide range of sediment types from mud to coarse
and mixed sediments.
The subtidal rocky habitat within this site is already protected
by Haig Fras SAC, but the broad-scale sedimentary
habitats are now offered protection as features of the Greater Haig
Fras MCZ. This includes Subtidal coarse sediment, Subtidal sand, Subtidal mud, and Subtidal mixed sediments. The variety of
subtidal sediments present here support a range of animals
including many species of polychaete worm and bivalve mollusc that
live within the sediment, and on the surface of the sediment
epifaunal species including echinoderms such as sea urchins and
starfish are recorded. In the deeper areas of the site, a
particular type of mud habitat known as Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna communities
occurs, which is also an OSPAR Threatened
and / or Declining habitat across the North-east Atlantic. The
burrowing activity of crustaceans such as mud shrimps and the
Norway lobster Nephrops
norvegicus has an important functional role, allowing
oxygen penetration deeper into the sediment, releasing nutrients,
and increasing the structural complexity of the habitat. Although
characterised by Nephrops and sea-pen, this habitat also
supports a rich community of animals living within the
sediment.
In addition to the Haig Fras SAC which is completely contained
within the boundary of the Greater Haig Fras MCZ, a number of other
MPAs are located close by. North-West of Jones Bank MCZ (approximately 9km
south of the southern site boundary) protects the same broad-scale
habitats as well as the habitat FOCI Sea-pen and burrowing
megafauna communities and thereby contributes to adequacy and
replication targets for this region. East of Haig Fras MCZ (approximately 40km to the
east) also protects a range of broad-scale habitats. Further detail
on the evidence for this MCZ can be found on the
Evidence tab.
Site location: Coordinates for this
MCZ can be found in the Designation Order listed in the
Relevant Documentation.
Site area: 2,041km2.
Greater Haig Fras MCZ is similar in size to the county West
Sussex (1,991km2) in the south of England.
Site depth range: Greater Haig Fras
MCZ varies in depth from less than 50m over the rock outcrop, to
200m depth over the surrounding seabed.
Charting Progress 2 biogeographic region -
Western Channel and Celtic Sea.
Site boundary description
The western
boundary of Greater Haig Fras MCZ aligns with the UK Continental
Shelf Limit. The remainder of the site has been drawn to encompass
the entirety of the geological feature Haig Fras Rock Complex and
Haig Fras SAC, with surrounding areas of sediment. The boundary is
in accordance with the MCZ Ecological Network Guidance, which
advises using a minimum number of simple lines to delineate the
site.
Evidence
Last updated: October 2017
The full overview of the range of data used to support site
identification, along with information on confidence in
feature presence and extent is available in JNCC's Tranche Two pre consultation
and post consultation advice to Defra. JNCC will be
adding relevant survey data for this MPA to the JNCC
Interactive MPA map in due course. Some of the data for this
MCZ has been collected through JNCC funded or collaborative surveys
and some through other means. Data from these surveys provide
direct evidence confirming the presence of the protected features
within the site. As this MCZ contains the Haig Fras SAC within its
boundary entirely, any data gathered from surveys of the SAC will
be relevant to the sedimentary and geological features of the MCZ.
For more information see the Haig Fras SAC.
Survey and data gathering
- National Oceanography Centre
Southampton, JC124 seabed monitoring (2015) - NOC
Southampton carried out seabed monitoring at Greater Haig Fras MCZ
as part of the DEFRA funded project "Novel AUV and Glider
deployments to inform future MPA and MSFD monitoring strategy in UK
shelf waters?". Acoustic data were collected from a location
previously surveyed in 2012 using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
(AUV) deployed from RRS James Cook (cruise code, JC124). The
objective was to test the feasibility of shallow water
high-resolution repeat mapping, and evaluate the amount of
'natural' change shown by the studied seabed habitats and fauna
over the three-year period.
- Marine Institute Nephrops survey (2012-2015) - The
Marine Institute collected underwater video survey data at stations
in the Greater Haig Fras MCZ, as part of a Nephrops stock
assessment survey of the wider 'Labadie, Jones and Cockburn Banks'
ICES assessment area (Functional Unit 20-21). Data verifying the
presence of the mud habitat 'Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna
communities' were recorded.
- Gardline Geosurvey (2014) - Collected full coverage multibeam
bathymetry and backscatter data within the southern area of Greater
Haig Fras MCZ. Data were collected from MV Vigilant using
a hull mounted EM2040 dual head multibeam echo sounder.
-
JNCC/Cefas Greater Haig Fras rMCZ Survey (MB0120) (2012)
- JNCC and Cefas undertook a survey of Greater Haig Fras MCZ
to verify the predicted habitats within the site (RV Cefas
Endeavour, CEND 10/12). Multibeam bathymetry data were
collected to the north of Haig Fras SAC along corridors spaced five
km apart and opportunistically while transiting between the 53
ground truth sample stations. Grab samples were collected from all
stations, while video and still images were taken at 23
stations.
- Survey data were also collected within Haig Fras SAC to infill
areas of poor survey coverage from the 2011 survey.
Full coverage multibeam and backscatter data were obtained
from survey blocks not covered in 2011, eight underwater video and
11 additional grab stations were sampled.
- British Geological Survey Particle Size Analysis (PSA) data
- Sediment samples from historical BGS surveys provide
information on the presence and extent of the broad-scale habitats:
Subtidal coarse sediment, Subtidal sand, Subtidal mud and Subtidal
mixed sediments.
Data analysis reports
Analyses of data
gathered as part of the surveys listed above, as well as other
relevant data analysis products, are available via the
following reports:
Additional relevant literature
References for further supporting scientific literature
consulted during the identification of this site can be found in
the annexes of our
advice. Please be aware that although these sources contain
information in relation to this MPA, they do not necessarily
represent the views of JNCC.
Knowledge gaps
If you are aware of any
additional information not referred to in any of the documents
listed on the Evidence tab or the annexes of the MCZ advice
documents, please contact JNCC.
MPA Conservation Advice
Last updated: March 2018
Updated formal conservation advice is now available for this
MPA. Further information on the approach used to develop this
advice is available on the Conservation
Advice webpage along with a Glossary of
Terms used in JNCC conservation advice.
You must refer to this advice if you:
- undertake a Habitats
Regulation Assessment (HRA) for a plan or project that could impact
the site;
- provide information
for a HRA;
- respond to specific
measures to prevent the deterioration of habitats and significant
disturbance of features; and
- consider the need to put
new or additional management measures in place.
You may also find it useful to refer to this
advice if you:
- carry out any other activity
that could impact the site.
We will engage with stakeholders to identify
any lessons which JNCC can learn from customers who have used the
advice, with a view to continuing to ensure it is
fit-for-purpose.
The following table provides an overview of the components of
the conservation advice, and provides hyperlinks to each of the
products for this MPA. These elements together form JNCC’s
formal conservation advice for this site and should be read in
conjunction with each other. This advice reflects the most
up-to-date evidence held by JNCC (correct as of March 2018).
A zipped folder enabling these documents to be downloaded together
is available at the bottom of this page.
Document
|
Overview
|
Background Information
|
Explains the purpose of the advice and when it
must be referred to.
|
Conservation
Objectives
Supplementary
Advice on the Conservation
Objectives (SACO)
|
The Conservation Objectives set out the broad
ecological aims for the site. JNCC provide supplementary advice in
the SACO which is essential reading to support interpretation of
these conservation objectives.
You can use these documents to assess the
impacts of your planned activity on the important attributes of the
site.
|
Conservation
advice statements
|
These statements provide a summary of the Supplementary Advice
on the Conservation Objectives (SACO).
- Site condition presents our up to date understanding of the
condition of features within the site;
- Conservation benefits which the site can provide, these help
you understand what is important about the site and why it needs
protecting; and
- Conservation measures which JNCC consider are needed to support
achievement of the conservation objectives. These provide clarity
around measures needed to support restoration or maintenance of the
feature(s) within the site.
|
Advice on
operations
|
Provides information on the activities capable
of affecting site integrity and therefore achievement of the site’s
conservation objectives.
This is a starting point for determining
potential management requirements. It does not take into account
the intensity, frequency or cumulative impacts from activities
taking place. It is simply to advise you of the possible adverse
impacts that your activity can have on a MPA’s features.
Use the advice on operations to determine
those pressures your activity causes that could harm the habitat
and/or species features of the site.
|
Download
You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this
document.
Activities and Management
Last updated: October 2017
Management
status: Progressing
towards being well managed
The vulnerability assessment conducted for
this site suggests it is unlikely to be moving towards its
conservation objectives, but directed site condition monitoring
data are needed to improve our confidence in this assessment.
Progress is ongoing with regards to the recommendation of fisheries
management proposals to the European Commission.
|
This site forms part of the UK’s contribution to the OSPAR
commission’s network of MPAs and the Emerald network
established under the Bern Convention. As the UK
is a member of the OSPAR
commission, JNCC are committed to ensuring that the OSPAR MPA
network is ‘well-managed’ by
2020.
JNCC consider ‘well-managed’ to mean the
timely progress of an MPA around the ‘MPA management cycle’. This
involves:
1) The
documentation of appropriate management information - conservation
objectives, advice on activities capable of affecting the protected
features of a site, and spatial information on the presence and
extent of the protected features of a site.
2) The
implementation of management measures - management actions
considered necessary to achieve the conservation objectives of a
site.
3) Site
condition monitoring programmes – collecting the information
necessary to determine progress towards a sites conservation
objectives.
4) Assessment
of progress towards conservation objectives – using available
information to infer whether or not a site is moving towards or has
achieved its conservation objectives.
The sub-sections that follow provide an account of the progress
of Greater Haig Fras MCZ around each of these four stages in the
MPA management cycle:
The documentation of appropriate management
information
- The conservation objectives and advice on activities capable of
affecting the conservation status of the protected feature of this
site are available under the conservation advice tab.
- JNCC are in the process of improving our MPA conservation
advice packages. Further information is available on our conservation
advice pages.
- Spatial information on the presence and extent of the protected
feature of this MPA is available via JNCC’s MPA mapper.
- JNCC are in the process of developing downloadable MPA data
packages where appropriate permissions to share datasets are in
place.
The implementation of management measures
This section details progress towards the implementation of
management measures for activities considered capable of affecting
the conservation status of the protected features of the site. The
protected features of the site are considered to be sensitive to
pressures associated with fishing and ‘licensable’ activities.
Fisheries
- There is evidence of demersal fishing effort by both UK and
non-UK registered vessels within the Greater Haig Fras
MCZ.
- As the site falls outside the UK’s 12 nautical mile limit, any
management will be implemented exclusively through the
EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). In accordance with
Article 18 of the revised CFP, requests for management will be
developed jointly between the UK government and any Member States
with a direct management interest in the area.
- The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) are the lead authority
regarding the implementation of, and compliance with, any measures
to manage fishing activity. Further information on progress is
available via
MMO webpages.
Licensable activities
- Licensable activities such as oil and gas exploration and
production do not take place within this MPA at present, but any
future proposals would be managed in accordance with the clauses
set out under Section
127 of The Marine & Coastal Access Act (2009). Under this
clause, JNCC have a statutory responsibility to advise the
regulator on developments that are capable of affecting (other than
insignificantly) the protected features of the MPA and that may
hinder the achievement of the sites conservation objectives. JNCC
consider that the existing marine licensing process is sufficient
to ensure the management of licensable activities taking place, or
that could take place in the future, on the protected features of
this MPA.
- For further information, please see the MMO’s
guidance on marine conservation zones and marine
licensing.
- Further information on JNCC’s role in the provision of advice
for licensed activities in the UK offshore area is available on
JNCC’s offshore
industries advice webpage.
Telecommunications cables
- Three telecommunications cables currently
cross through the MPA..
- Cables are largely an unregulated activity in
offshore waters depending upon the type of cable being laid (or
maintained), where it is being laid between and whether the cable
is part of a larger development (which may be regulated). Any cable
not directly associated with an energy installation does not
require a marine license beyond 12 nautical miles.
- JNCC encourages early discussion from
operators regarding any plans related to new or existing cables,
and encourages the undertaking of non-statutory environmental
impact assessments for new or existing cable projects to assess
their effect on the protected features of the MPA..
Site condition monitoring
Site condition monitoring surveys are yet to
take place within this MPA. Further information will be made
available under the Monitoring tab in due course. A summary of our
existing knowledge base for this site is provided in the Evidence
tab.
Progression towards conservation objectives
No long-term condition monitoring data are
available to determine whether the MPA is moving towards or has
reached its conservation objectives. The vulnerability assessment
conducted for this site has set “recover” objectives for its
protected habitat features, suggesting it is unlikely to be moving
towards its conservation objectives. Directed site condition
monitoring data are needed to improve our confidence in this
assessment. Further information will be provided under the
Assessment tab as it becomes available.
Monitoring
Last updated: October 2017
JNCC is currently leading on the development of a strategy for
biodiversity monitoring across all UK waters, to include MPA
monitoring. For MPAs, data and evidence collected from monitoring
activities will aim to:
- Enable assessment of condition of the features within
sites;
- Enable assessment of the degree to which management measures
are effective in achieving the conservation objectives for the
protected features;
- Support the identification of priorities for future protection
and/or management; and,
- Enable Government to fulfil its national and international
assessment and reporting commitments in relation to MPAs and help
identify where further action may be required.
Information on monitoring of this MPA will be provided when it
becomes available.
Assessment
Last updated: October 2017
Assessments of the condition of designated features in offshore
MPAs are required to report against our legal obligations. Ideally
these assessments should be based on observed data, and then
measured against targets for predefined indicators. However, for
MPAs in offshore waters we do not always have the appropriate
information to be able to do so. This is particularly true for
seabed habitats, which are the main type of feature designated for
protection in offshore MPAs.
To address these challenges, JNCC has been an active partner in
the development of new approaches and tools for the assessment of
habitats and species for a variety of national and international
status reports. They include the second cycle of the Conservation Status Assessment reports under the
EU Habitats Directive, Charting Progress 2
(CP2) and the OSPAR Quality Status
Report (QSR). JNCC continues to develop and pilot tools for the
assessment of marine habitats and species in offshore waters to
improve the quality and transparency of our offshore MPA
assessments, and contribute to the monitoring of marine
biodiversity in UK waters. These tools cover methods for producing
interim assessments of site features and their responses to
pressures, as well as developing more robust indicators for
determining condition of the features.
Under the UK Marine & Coastal
Access Act (2009), JNCC is required to report to Ministers on
the degree to which the conservation objectives of the protected
features of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) have been
achieved. Every 6 years from 2012, the Marine Act requires a
report setting out how MCZs have performed against their
conservation objectives, as well as the effectiveness of the
network as a whole. The assessments of features within MPAs
will also feed into six yearly reports on the state of the marine
environment under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD),
which aims to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020.