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Select committee inquiry

Marine Protected Areas

Closed

Environmental Audit Committee · Opened 10 December 2013 · Closed 21 June 2014

5 recommendations · 9 conclusions
Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

What the inquiry looked at

“Marine Protected Areas are designated to protect marine biodiversity of European or national importance. They include Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), created under Part 5 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, to protect areas that are nationally representative and important to conserve for the diversity of nationally rare or threatened habitats and species. Full terms of reference”

The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.

What it found

In the committee's words, from the summary of 1st Report - Marine protected areas ↗

In November 2013 the Government designated 27 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs)—well short of the 127 sites recommended by the project groups it had set up. This slow pace has been disappointing and suggests a lack of Government commitment to this initiative.

The MCZ selections so far have been criticised from all sides, for lacking environmental protection ambition and for gaps in the biodiversity covered, but also for the potential harm they could cause to business and leisure activities. At this stage it is difficult to assess whether such gaps and uncertainties will be a consistent feature of the programme, or whether a difficulty in collecting evidence of a standard that meets the Government’s requirements has skewed the initial selections.

The Government will consult on a second tranche of MCZs in early 2015, with sites designated at the end of that year. To demonstrate to all sides that it is committed to the environmental protection of our seas, it should front-load the selection of further MCZs so that more fall in that next tranche of designations. It should follow an environmental precautionary principle approach to designations, based if need be on ‘best available’ data rather than the fuller ‘robust’ data that it has sought so far.

The Government has not set out a strategy for the management of the MCZs, or explained the enforcement measures which will be applied. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will only have control plans in place for its part of the first tranche of these in 2016. The Government must immediately set out management plans for individual MCZs, and an overarching strategy for MCZ management which facilitates voluntary arrangements where these would not undermine or weaken the MCZs’ objectives.

The Government should identify a clear lead agency to drive effective co-ordination of protected areas. The MMO might be given that role, but if so the Government will need to ensure that the organisation’s planning and resources would allow it to discharge that responsibility effectively. The Government should provide its assessment of the budget and resources that the MMO will make available to manage the MCZs, and how any efficiencies will affect the level of MCZ management and enforcement that the organisation will be able to provide.

What the government said

The government responded on 15 September 2014.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response.

The government says it is committed to completing its contribution to a network of marine protected areas, but does not accept the recommendation to frontload the second tranche of Marine Conservation Zones.

  • It states that it "does not accept the recommendation to frontload the second tranche", saying adding further sites now would significantly delay the public consultation planned to start in January 2015.
  • On evidence, it "recognises the tension" between resolving uncertainties and taking a precautionary approach, and says designations should rest on "sound evidence". It cites over £10m for seabed surveys, with up to a further £2m expected this financial year.
  • It "agrees that voluntary measures should be considered" as part of the suite of possible arrangements for managing activities in sites.
  • It says Defra already has the lead role for strategy and co-ordination on MCZs. It is "currently considering" whether a lead organisation for coordination of and reporting on management of MPAs is "desirable", including any cost implications.

Read the government's response ↗ Read the report ↗ Report an error

How the inquiry ran

Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 10 December 2013 to 15 September 2014.

  1. Oral evidence 3 sessions
  2. Report 21 Jun 2014
  3. Government response 15 Sep 2014

What it recommended 5 recommendations · 9 conclusions

1Communicating the facts about Marine Conservation Zones to the general public, and engaging with all...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Communicating the facts about Marine Conservation Zones to the general public, and engaging with all those with an interest in marine matters, should be an important part of the process of the programme’s implementation. .... The evidence we have received suggests that the Government has not yet got its communications right, with a risk that there could continue to be resistance from those who might otherwise support the programme.
2The slow pace at which Marine Conservation Zones have so far been designated has been...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The slow pace at which Marine Conservation Zones have so far been designated has been disappointing and suggests a lack of Government commitment to this initiative. The designation of 27 sites in 2013 and the prospect of only another 37 at the end of 2015 represent an unambitious programme, after a total of 127 sites had been recommended by experts and stakeholders. To be credible and attract support from all quarters, the Government needs to be able to demonstrate that the choice of sites strikes an appropriate balance between environmental, business and leisure interests. The selections so far, however, have been criticised from all sides. From an environmental protection perspective, they betray a lack of ambition and there are gaps in the level and types of biodiversity covered. But there are also concerns about potential harm to business and leisure activities.
3It is difficult to assess whether such gaps and uncertainties will be a consistent feature...
Concluded (the committee's words)
It is difficult to assess whether such gaps and uncertainties will be a consistent feature of the programme, or whether a difficulty in collecting evidence of a standard that meets the Government’s requirements has skewed and limited the initial selections. The Government, as the Science and Technology Committee has previously concluded, has unhelpfully moved the goalposts by increasing the standard of evidence it requires to designate MCZs.
4We are disappointed that the Government has not set out the management and enforcement measures...
Concluded (the committee's words)
We are disappointed that the Government has not set out the management and enforcement measures which will be applied to the Marine Conservation Zones. Part of the Government’s rationale for its phased approach to developing the network of MCZs was to provide time to put management measures in place, but with the first tranche of MCZs now operational there is still no information available on how they will be managed or policed.
5The management of Marine Conservation Zones needs an underpinning of enforceable statutory regulation.
Concluded (the committee's words)
The management of Marine Conservation Zones needs an underpinning of enforceable statutory regulation. But compliance with the protections planned for the MCZs is likely to be greater where voluntary agreements have also been introduced. Many organisations have been involved in marine environmental protection, and have built up expertise and commitment that regulators should not overlook.
6With a range of organisations involved in marine protected areas and around the UK, a...
Concluded (the committee's words)
With a range of organisations involved in marine protected areas and around the UK, a clear lead agency is needed to drive effective co-ordination in the areas for which Defra is responsible, reflecting a strategy for the development and management of MCZs. The Government and the Marine Management Organisation have failed to set out such a strategy or to explain in any detail the measures that will be taken to manage individual Zones. The first tranche of MCZs were designated in 28 Marine protected areas November 2013, but the MMO will only have ‘control plans’ in place for those it is responsible for in 2016.
7Like any organisation facing reducing budgets, the Marine Management Organisation is examining its priorities and...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Like any organisation facing reducing budgets, the Marine Management Organisation is examining its priorities and working methods. With increased responsibilities over the next few years arising from the implementation and extension of the MCZ programme, however, there is a risk that this area of activity might be insufficiently addressed. With continuing uncertainty about how the MCZs will be managed and a lack of an overall strategy, the MMO is currently unable to demonstrate that it will have the resources available to ensure marine protection in the MCZs.
8The Government should put in place engagement and communications plans for the MCZ programme, before...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government should put in place engagement and communications plans for the MCZ programme, before consulting on the next tranche of MCZs in 2015, to ensure that it is more widely understood and accepted.
9The Government should seek to apply the lessons from the consultation process for the first...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government should seek to apply the lessons from the consultation process for the first tranche of MCZs and bring forward and extend the mapping and research work needed to underpin the next rounds. That further research will help the Government demonstrate that it is taking on board any consequences for business and leisure users. Ultimately, however, it should follow a precautionary principle approach to designations to protect our threatened marine biodiversity, based, if need be, on the ‘best available’ data. To demonstrate to all sides that it is committed to the environmental protection of our seas, the Government should seek to front- load the selection of further MCZs so that more all in the second, rather than in the third, tranche of designations. The Government’s planned second tranche of 37 sites is insufficient, and a significantly higher target should be set.
10The Government must immediately set out its strategy for managing the existing MCZs, and include...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government must immediately set out its strategy for managing the existing MCZs, and include site management details for the second tranche of MCZs at the start of their consultation process in early 2015.
11When the Government and regulators determine the management arrangements for existing and future MCZs, they...
Concluded (the committee's words)
When the Government and regulators determine the management arrangements for existing and future MCZs, they should seek to facilitate voluntary agreements where these would not undermine or weaken the particular MCZ’s objectives, while making it clear that they will use statutory enforcement where and when necessary.
12The Government needs to move quickly to reassure key stakeholders that it has a credible...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Government needs to move quickly to reassure key stakeholders that it has a credible strategy for management of the Marine Conservation Zones. Full management plans for all 27 existing MCZs should be published at the latest by November 2014—the first anniversary of their designation. Substantial draft management plans for each of the next tranche of MCZs should be part of the consultation on that tranche when it is launched in early 2015.
13The Government should also identify a body with a clear lead role for strategy and...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government should also identify a body with a clear lead role for strategy and co-ordination on the MCZs. The MMO might be given that role, but if so the Government will need to ensure that the organisation’s plans and resources … would allow it to discharge that responsibility effectively.
14In its response to this report, the Government should provide its assessment of the budget...
Recommended (the committee's words)
In its response to this report, the Government should provide its assessment of the budget and resources that the Marine Management Organisation will make available to manage the MCZs, what level of efficiency improvements are implicit in any reduction in that budget or resources, and how such efficiencies will affect the level of MCZ management and enforcement that the MMO will be able to provide.

Evidence

Oral evidence sessions 3