Good news for marine conservation

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, 18 January 2016
Good news for marine conservation
white striped anemone / Paul Naylor

By Olle Akesson

Marine Officer

A while ago I was asked ‘What makes you tick? How do you keep going on the days when someone runs an oil tanker aground on a coral reef?’ The question really stumped me because almost every day, somewhere, someone (even Greenpeace once!) runs a ship aground on a coral reef, spills a load of oil or is caught overfishing. It stumped me because horrifyingly, it is the norm rather than the exception. The barrage of bad news has caused many marine biologists and conservationists to lose their sunny disposition and gain a bleak outlook. Eventually the concept of Ocean Optimism was born. If you don’t believe me, check out #OceanOptimism on twitter where you’ll find people sharing successes, wins and good news stories so that people will know that while marine conservation is an uphill struggle, it isn’t futile.

Well today is a Good News story. Big time. Today we almost doubled the number of Marine Conservation Zones in English waters!

The government has announced the designation of 23 new Marine Conservation Zones around England, bringing the total number up to 50. The zones will form part of an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas, a ‘blue belt’ if you will, around the UK. It is a bit of a mouthful, but for the zones to be effective they need to function together, not as individual sanctuaries. Animals need to be able to move between the zones to breed, feed and grow. The zones need to represent the different kinds of habitats we have in the UK and they need to be well managed to protect the features that make them special.

Here in Sussex the three existing zones: Pagham Harbour, Kingmere and Beachy Head West are joined by three new zones: Offshore Overfalls, Offshore Brighton and Utopia, bringing the number of zones to six.

Two of the zones, Offshore Overfalls and Offshore Brighton are huge. Together they cover 593 and 862km2 of seabed respectively. Together all six zones cover just over 1,500 km2, an area almost as big as East Sussex.

The three new zones cover a variety of habitats and species. Utopia gets its name from the tope sharks that breed here. It is a rocky outcrop surrounded by sand and gravel, but the hard rock gives purchase for sponges and corals that you would otherwise not find here to settle and grow.

Offshore Overfalls is a mosaic of different habitats from sandstone reefs to sand and gravel. The varied seabed is home to skates and rays and supports commercially important fish like bass, cod and plaice.

Offshore Brighton is further offshore and the deep waters mean it is relatively untouched by wind and waves. The calmer waters allows animals to settle on the seabed and living reefs, formed of the tubes of ross worms, increase the diversity of this habitat.

Today’s announcement is exciting as Wildlife Trusts around the country have been working towards a completed network since the Marine and Coastal Access Act came into force in 2009 and this is a rewarding step towards reversing the damage we have been doing to our seas and a start to sustainable use of our seas.

We’re not quite there yet and there’s plenty of work to be done. But today certainly is a day for ocean optimism.

To find out more about our new marine Conservation Zones and the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s marine work head over to https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/what-we-do/living-seas

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