WILD NEWS All the latest regional and national news from The Wildlife Trusts REGIONAL


MCZ update


Last summer we asked


you to respond to the Government’s consultation on a third round of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) that were being considered for protection. We were overwhelmed that yet again, over 1,800 members and supporters, responded to call for these protection measures. At the end of May, we


received the long-awaited news... six new MCZs were designated in the Irish Sea, largely completing a network of protected areas throughout UK seas. We were delighted as we have been


campaigning for the protection of the marine environment and Marine Conservation Zones for 10 years! We would not have achieved such a great success without your help, so thank you! Two of the newly created MCZs lie off


the coast of Cumbria: † Solway Firth: created to protect some of the last surviving populations of European smelt (the ‘cucumber fish’), which have suffered dramatic population declines over the past 200 years. † West of Copeland: a large, offshore site, created to protect an area of sand and gravel seabed, home to burrowing urchins, starfish, anemones and crabs. Cliff-nesting razorbills will also have


their important foraging and loafing area off St Bees Head protected, as an addition to the existing Cumbria Coast MCZ. Two further important areas for smelt


in the North West were among the MCZs created – Wyre & Lune estuaries and the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire. Two new offshore areas in the western Irish Sea –


South Rigg and Queen Corner – were also created, protecting deep muddy habitats, ancient ocean quahog clams, sea pens and a range of other mud- loving creatures. This brings the total


Hermit crab


to 10 MCZs in the Irish Sea, including five off Cumbria, and 91 in total across English coastal and offshore waters. The protection of these areas is vital to the recovery of an array of habitats and threatened species that have suffered from decades of over-exploitation. Although we are over the moon with


the progress that has been made, there is still more to do… We believe that there are a few final


gaps in the network, further areas of vital underwater landscapes that are in urgent need of protection. We will continue to campaign to these lost sites.


Finally, each of these sites will require management to actively conserve the special underwater habitats and species that they were created to protect. Although management measures are slowly being introduced, we will continue to work to ensure this happens as soon as possible.


Cumbrian Wildlife | September 2019 15


AMY LEWIS


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