LONDON: The Government was accused of “dragging its feet” on protecting the seas, including part of Dorset, as it announced fewer than two dozen potential sites.
The Environment Department (Defra) has proposed 23 new marine conservation zones in the second stage of creating a network of protected areas in the seas around England – down from 37 candidate sites announced last year.
Conservationists said important areas such as Studland Bay, Dorset, with seagrass meadows that are home to breeding seahorses and juveniles of species such as bass, bream and flatfish, and sites around the Isle of Wight have been missed out.
Marine Conservation Society biodiversity and fisheries programme manager Dr Peter Richardson said: “We are alarmed that these proposed MCZs (Marine Conservation Zones) have been shelved, at least for the time being.
“We believe all of the sites are necessary to achieve the Government’s stated commitment to deliver a full network.
“Delaying 14 sites means that a number of the UK’s iconic marine places and habitats are still not adequately protected.”
He added: “This decision doesn’t match urgent conservation needs, or indeed, the ambition of the public, who continue to demonstrate their support for the establishment of a network of marine protected areas in UK seas”.
WWF-UK’s head of marine policy Dr Lyndsey Dodds said the 14 sites had been dropped from the 37 originally identified for this round of consultation despite clear cross-party and public support.
“This is a cause for huge concern, and shows government is dragging its feet.
