Lizard Point SCI
Status: Designated
Description
Site overview
Lizard Point in Cornwall is the most southerly point on mainland Great Britain, and as a result it is exposed to the full force of the Atlantic. The coastal upstanding rocky reefs found here extend out to around 2 kilometers offshore and run along the coast for around 24 kilometers. This variety of bedrock is unique to the Lizard Point. In the summer basking sharks, common dolphins, whales, seals and sunfish are often spotted from the headland.
MPA Type
Site of Community ImportanceSpecial Areas of Conservation (SACs) are strictly protected sites designated under European legislation. They contribute both to the UK MPA network and set up to protect habitat types and species considered to be most in need of conservation at a European level (excluding birds). Sites that have been adopted by the European Commission but not yet formally designated by the government of each country are referred to as Sites of Community Interest (SCIs).
Designation date
1 August 2010Surface Area
139.88 km2 (54.01 mi.2)Perimeter
128.98 km (80.15 mi.)-
Reefs
Areas where the bedrock, stable boulders and cobbles or structures created by animals arise from the surrounding seabed. They attract and provide a home to a huge variety of plant and animal life.
Seasearch has been involved in the site, diving it as recently as 2017 to help illustrate the distribution of conservation features to Natural England to aid management decisions.
Learn more about SeasearchDid you know?…
An area over 9 times the size of Wales is now in marine protected areas in the UK, but less than 1% is considered by MCS scientists to be well managed
Over 500,000 records on undersea habitats and species have been collected by volunteer Seasearch divers providing significant evidence for inshore ‘marine protected areas’
Over 170 parliamentarians from across the political spectrum signed up to our Marine Charter calling for a network of ‘marine protected areas’ in UK Seas