Marine protected areas
The Government has a vision to produce clean, healthy and biodiverse seas around the coast of the UK. One of the means of achieving this will be through the establishment of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs).
By 2012, it is intended to have established a network of European marine sites in accordance with the requirements of the EC’s Habitats and Wild Birds Directives under the Natura 2000 (N2K) programme. These European sites will comprise special areas of conservation (SACs) for annex I natural habitat types and annex II protected species and special protection areas (SPAs) for wild birds.
In addition to the European marine sites, the Government intends to designate an ecologically coherent network of national marine conservation zones (MCZs), using authority derived from the Marine and Coastal Access Act.
Other nature conservation activity
Further information
These links to external websites provide more information about nature conservation.
Marine conservation zones (Defra)
Special areas of conservation in the UK
Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust: Seagrass Project
Map showing Torbay's seagreass beds (PDF 418 KB)
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