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Further information on the MCZ Project

127 MCZs and 65 Reference Areas have been recommended. Defra, Natural England and JNCC recognise the considerable amount of time and effort made by stakeholders to make these recommendations.

The four regional MCZ Projects have conducted over 2,500 interviews with stakeholders, and over a million individuals’ interests have been represented  including recreational sea users, conservationists and marine industries such as fishing and renewable energy.

Negotiations on site recommendations have taken place at 161 stakeholder meetings. This collaborative approach was designed to increase support for the location and objectives of the MCZ recommendations from all stakeholders wherever possible.

• Next steps
• Advice package
• Impact assessment
• The final stages
• How to stay in touch
• Ongoing involvement
• Guidance and advice

Next steps

You view the recommended sites at www.mczmapping.org or on the regional MCZ project websites. The Written Ministerial Statement made by Richard Benyon on 15 November 2011 signalled a change in the timetable and intent to improve the evidence base underpinning the designation of MCZs. The Science Advisory Panel (SAP) has provided its advice to Defra on how well the final recommendations meet the ecological network guidelines. Now the final recommendations have been made, the regional MCZ projects have reduced their input into the process. Natural England and JNCC are now undertaking analysis of the recommendations from regional projects against the network guidance and provide advice to Defra next year. The advice from Natural England and JNCC will be provided alongside the regional project recommendations and will not change any of the outputs from the stakeholder process. In addition to the ecological advice Natural England and JNCC will work with the regional MCZ projects and Defra to develop the impact assessment.

MCZ Designation timetable

• 17 July 2012: Natural England and JNCC submit the regional MCZ project recommendations and IA with statutory advice whether the recommendations satisfy the Ecological Network Guidance (ENG) design criteria and principles, highlighting any gaps or duplication.

• 2012: Public consultation.

• 2013: Government designates 1st tranche of MCZs.

Natural England and JNCC will provide more detailed conservation advice for MCZs following designation. This may be used by Public Authorities to inform their decisions on management measures.

The advice package

During the next stage of the process JNCC and Natural England will develop and provide their statutory advice to the Government.
This statutory advice package will contain:

• Advice on the creation of an ecologically coherent network of MPAs.
• An overview of the regional MCZ project process used to identify recommended MCZs.
• NCC and Natural England’s view of the four regional project’s MCZ recommendations.
• An assessment of the most at risk sites/priority sites for protection.
• An assessment of the scientific certainty of the regional MCZ project recommendations.

View the MCZ Project Advice Protocols

The impact assessment

Over the next few months, the regional MCZ projects will continue to work with JNCC and Natural England to prepare an impact assessment (IA) for the recommended MCZs. It will accompany the public consultation managed in late 2012 by Defra. The purpose is so that people with an interest in the marine environment understand the evidence base and:

• how and to what extent the proposed MCZs may impact on them; and
• estimated economic, environmental, and social costs and benefits of the proposed MCZs.

The IA consultation will also give affected parties an opportunity to identify potential unintended consequences.
The IA will:

• Summarise the regional MCZ project recommendations.
• Summarise the benefit of designating the recommended MCZs.
• Identify activities that would need to be managed in order for the conservation objectives of the recommended sites to be achieved.
• Identify possible management measures.
• Assess the impact of designating the recommended MCZs on different sectors on a site-by-site basis, and a regional basis where appropriate.
• Provide information on the evidence used to identify the possible management measures and assess the impact of designation.

The regional stakeholder groups and named consultative stakeholders will be given an opportunity to review the IA before it is submitted and the wider public will be able to comment on the findings in the IA during the public consultation.

Find out more about the impact assessment: (149kb)

The final stages

Once the four regional projects' MCZ recommendations, IA and Natural England and JNCC’s advice has been received, Ministers will consider the supporting evidence and potential environmental, social and economic impacts, before undertaking public consultation on all the recommended MCZs and subsequent designation.

The public consultation on sites the Government intends to designate is expected to take place next year, and will be an opportunity for stakeholders to review, comment and feedback to government on the proposed designation decisions before they are finalised.

The government is likely to be able to designate some of the recommended sites relatively quickly but to ensure that each MCZ has an adequate evidence base, it is requesting further evidence to inform decisions on other sites. Therefore designation will occur in tranches with the first tranche planned for 2013.

How to stay in touch

The Project will be regularly sending out newsletters with information on the MCZ designation process including the public consultation. Please sign up to receive the newsletter.

For more information you can email mczproject@jncc.gov.uk or visit the following websites:

• Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) - Defra
• Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Ongoing involvement

Most of the contribution needed from stakeholders to make well supported, well informed recommendations for MCZs, has now been captured through a wide variety of engagement including negotiations, meetings, facilitated workshops, interviews and data sharing. The amount of direct input from stakeholders into the designation process will reduce now that the four regional MCZ projects have handed over to Natural England and JNCC. However, we recognise the need to continue to involve sea users and interest groups and keep them well informed of progress and provide the required transparency.

• We will keep stakeholders updated through the MCZ Project newsletter.
• Queries can be answered through the Project email address or through Natural England local advisors and JNCC international advisors.
• Some direct engagement with Regional Stakeholder Group members and named Consultative Stakeholders will be maintained to quality assure the process at various stages.
• The public consultation will be another opportunity for stakeholders to have their say.

Guidance and advice

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