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MCS in Scotland welcomes Government proposals for Scottish MPA network although still ‘work in progress’
All 33 proposed sites in Scotland must go forward to public consultation says charity
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) in Scotland says it welcomes the Scottish Government’s proposals published today on how it will deliver a network of 33 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Scottish waters. However, the charity views the steps set out as very much ‘a work in progress.’
MCS says that in the face of historic over-exploitation that has led to the declining health of Scottish seas, Scotland’s new MPA network must protect the best of what’s left in the sea, and help recover damaged areas.
Calum Duncan, MCS Scotland Programme Manager, says protecting the status quo is not an option: “Only by securing an improvement in the health of Scotland’s seas can this new network secure a future for our sealife and the coastal communities and local economies that rely on it. We therefore welcome the 33 MPA proposals reported to Parliament, and would urge that all 33 are available for public consultation next summer.”
MCS says that the MPA network must be about more than just 'relic management.' Some areas of Scotland’s seabed are in a seriously degraded state, so careful management is needed to recover them to better and more productive health, in turn helping secure all that the sea provides for this and future generations. After decades of exploitation, parts of the sea need a permanent rest from damaging activities.”
Calum Duncan says that MPAs are not a luxury. A network is crucial to help secure all the benefits the sea so generously provides, from food and energy to recreation and inspiration. “We are pleased that our third party proposals helped ensure greater coverage of Scotland’s precious sea lochs in the network. However, the jury is still out on whether there will be adequate coverage for the seabed and if basking sharks will be properly represented. To create a win-win scenario MPAs must be more than paper parks. Only then can they help improve the health of our seas, not merely halt their historic decline."
These are the 33 MPA proposals and four MPA search locations included in Scottish Natural Heritage and Joint Nature Conservation Committee advice to Marine Scotland on what additional sites are needed in Scotland under both the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, additional to existing European and other sites. In their view these will contribute to a coherent network in UK waters.
MCS in Scotland succeeded in helping secure the Marine (Scotland) Act and in it the commitment to set up a Scottish network of MPAs and has contributed over several years to the project identifying new MPAs in Scottish waters, including successfully advocating for greater coverage of sea lochs and threatened/declining habitats and also for the most important sites for basking sharks to stay in the mix. The public consultation will be in summer 2013 and MCS in Scotland with the help of pledge-supporters, will be pushing for all the sites to be consulted on (since the proposals also include options).
