Natural England

Natural England, the Government's environmental advisor, will this week reveal positive results from Lundy - England’s first ever 'No Take' Marine Protected Area (MPA) - at an international conference in Scarborough on 2-3 October.

According to the latest monitoring results, lobsters are getting bigger, there are more of them and they are venturing beyond the No Take Zone.

Dr Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, said: “The spill over of lobsters from the No Take Zone into the surrounding area is extremely encouraging and shows the major contribution that highly protected sites like Lundy can make to the wildlife in our seas.”

“England is fortunate to have such a rich marine heritage and it is vital that action is taken to improve the health of our coasts and seas for the benefit of wildlife and the communities whose livelihoods depend upon it.

We hope the Government will now bring forward a Marine Bill to deliver a coherent network of Marine Protected Areas and much-needed better protection for our precious marine environment.”

Natural England’s conference provides a unique opportunity for people with an interest in marine conservation to share their knowledge and experience of marine management - to help conserve and recover our marine life, now and for the future.

Exclusive new footage and photography of sea life around Lundy, filmed by Doug Anderson of the BBC Planet Earth series, will also be shown at the conference and is available on request from Natural England’s press office.

Ends

For information about Lundy and the event, or for interviews with Dr Helen Phillips, speakers and scientists (including Dan Laffoley - Natural England specialist and IUCN Vice Chair MPA Programme) or to request bespoke highlights of the Lundy film/photography, please contact the Natural England press office. Telephone: 0845 603 9953, or out of hours 07970 098005. Email: press.office@naturalengland.org.uk.

Notes to Editors

1. Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings.

2. ‘Towards a coherent network of Marine Protected Areas’
The Marine Protected Areas Conference aims is to bring together those involved in management, designation, science and policy development of MPAs. Delegates will be able to share information and learn about the latest MPA science, good practice and policies from speakers from the UK and overseas as we look towards achieving our MPA targets.

Speakers at the conference include:

• Mark Duffy, Natural England
• Professor Steve Gaines, University of California
• Jean-Luc Solandt, Marine Conservation Society
• Jochen Krause, Bundesamt fur Naturschutz. (Germany)
• Barry Deas CEO for the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations

3. Lundy:
Dr Miles Hoskin (CMER), on behalf of Natural England, has been monitoring a range of key species in and around the Lundy reserve for the past four years. Lobster size and abundance increased rapidly within the reserve and for the first time it appears that the benefits of this are spreading to surrounding areas.

4. Natural England's Marine Campaign:
England has some of the finest marine wildlife in Europe, with dramatic underwater habitats and landscapes, and over 10,000 types of plant and animal. In England you are never more than 70 miles from the sea and we took 20 million seaside holidays in England in 2003.

Our seas provide over £500 million worth of commercial fish each year supporting an industry worth around £1 billion, but around 70% of fish stocks are over-fished and some fishing practices damage wildlife and habitats. Marine Protected Areas can help marine wildlife recover from damaging activities. Natural England plans to campaign to raise awareness of the importance of healthy seas and their value to wildlife, people and the economy.