Natural England is part of an ambitious programme of reform in the management and protection of England’s marine environment. One of the key areas of work is the expansion of the UK Marine Protected Area (MPA) network to protect a range of marine habitats and species which inhabit our waters. As this network expands, there will be a proportionate increase in the demand for the monitoring of these protected areas in order to assess the extent to which individual site objectives and the network objectives are being met.
In English waters Natural England will be the Statutory Nature Conservation Body (SNCB) responsible for this monitoring.
Looking further ahead, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive will also be a major driver of future monitoring activity, over larger spatial scales than those currently monitored.
In order to address the increasing demand for monitoring, Natural England is building on existing partnerships with other government bodies, such as the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Environment Agency, and investigating the possibilities of forging innovative partnerships with developers operating in the marine environment.
The purpose of the project was to identify opportunities for closer collaboration between Natural England, other SNCBs, marine regulators and industries undertaking licensable activities in areas where joint monitoring of MPAs can be of mutual benefit within English waters.
The findings will be used by Natural England to inform some of the key recommendations of the Defra led Habitats Directives Implementation Review being taken forward by the Marine Evidence Group as well as providing a useful tool for identifying, with developers, where joint monitoring activities can take place.