Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Paragraph: 96
If Marine Protected Areas continue to be poorly managed and monitored, with little enforcement of...
Conclusion
If Marine Protected Areas continue to be poorly managed and monitored, with little enforcement of their protected status, there is a risk that the Government will have established a network of ‘paper parks’. According to monitoring data, the condition of MPAs is much the same as our predecessors observed in 2019: this must call into question the effectiveness of the Government’s approach to managing biodiversity in the UK’s territorial waters.
Paragraph Reference:
96
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We are clear that meeting the 30 by 30 target requires we extend our protected areas and ensure they are managed effectively to drive up their value for biodiversity. As we develop our roadmap to meeting the 30 by 30 target on land in England we want to find an approach that strengthens and extends our existing network of protected areas and enhances the links between them. We are already bringing forward new designations and have introduced new funding, such as the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, for which applications opened on the 1 July. The programme provides funding for farmers and land managers in England’s National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to deliver projects that support nature recovery, mitigate the impacts of climate change, provide opportunities for people to access these landscapes, and that support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses. It will run to March 2024. In English waters there are 178 sustainable-use Marine Protected Areas protecting 40% of our seas and we have recently committed to piloting Highly Protected Marine Areas in English waters to boost biodiversity recovery. Later this year we will publish a Nature Recovery Green Paper, which will set out more detail on our approach to delivering this important commitment in England. Funding for bodies involved in monitoring of land and sea is considered under recommendation 11.