Marine Conservation Zones - submit your information by the 31st October

[Finding Sanctuary]

Dear forum readers,

We would like to draw your attention to Finding Sanctuary’s deadline, the 31st October, for receiving data from stakeholders.

Finding Sanctuary is one of four regional projects which together make up the Marine Conservation Zone Project. The four regional MCZ projects cover the south-west (Finding Sanctuary), Irish Sea (Irish Sea Conservation Zones), North Sea (Net Gain) and south-east (Balanced Seas). These regional MCZ projects are working with sea users and interest groups to identify Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and provide recommendations for sites within their regions to Government.

If you are concerned about the impacts MCZs may have on our activity, then please tell us which areas are important to you before the 31st October. You can do this through our online interactive map www.mczmapping.org or get in touch with your regional Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) project to arrange an interview.

The information you share with the regional MCZ projects is there for your representatives to use during negotiations about where to place Marine Conservation - they can use the data you supply to try to minimise any negative impacts to your activity.

So far more than 198,000 West Country water users have had their views represented as part of Finding Sanctuary’s research in the south-west region.
Following the end of the data collection exercise, the regional project stakeholder groups made up of fishermen, recreational sea users, scientists and other stakeholders will have 9 months to complete its deliberations with its final proposals going to the Government advisors in June next year.
We cannot guarantee that any information submitted to the regional projects after the 31st October will be able to be processed in time to be used by your representatives on the regional project stakeholder groups during their deliberations.

Any club, association or individual who wants to contribute information to the project can do so by contacting their regional project to arrange a meeting, or by visiting the online interactive map at www.mczmapping.org
Balanced Seas (south-east) T: 01227 827 839 / www.balancedseas.org
Finding Sanctuary (south-west) T: 01392 878 328 / www.finding-sanctuary.org
Irish Sea Conservation Zones (Irish Sea) T: 01925 813 200 / www.irishseaconservation.org.uk
Net Gain (North Sea) T: 01482 382 007 / www.netgainmcz.org

We cannot check back on this forum regularly to respond to queries. If you have any questions please contact your regional project and we will be happy to answer them. Thanks.