Collection

Marine conservation zone designations in England

Marine Conservation Zones protect our diverse species and habitats in the “blue belt” around the English Coast.

Published 21 November 2013
Last updated 4 February 2016 — see all updates
From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and Natural England

Marine Conservation Zones are areas that protect a range of nationally important, rare or threatened habitats and species.

There are 50 MCZs in waters around England. You can see where the zones are on JNCC’s interactive map.

These were designated in two phases after a process closely involving stakeholders. The first 27 zones were designated on 21 November 2013. Following consultation, 23 sites in the second phase were announced on 17 January 2016, bringing the total area protected to 7,886 square miles. Updated GIS data for all designated MCZs has been published.

A third phase will be consulted on in 2017, and designated in 2018. The third phase will aim to complete the UK Blue Belt and our contribution to the ecologically coherent network in the North East Atlantic.

Similar schemes are operating in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to contribute to a UK wide network of marine protected areas.

Policy documents

2016 MCZ designations and factsheets

  1. Marine Conservation Zones: Allonby Bay
    • Map
  2. Marine Conservation Zones: Bideford to Foreland Point
    • Map
  3. Marine Conservation Zone: Coquet to St Mary's
    • Map
  4. Marine Conservation Zones: Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds
    • Map
  5. Marine Conservation Zones: Dover to Deal
    • Map
  6. Marine Conservation Zones: Dover to Folkestone
    • Map
  7. Marine Conservation Zones: Farnes East
    • Map
  8. Marine Conservation Zones: Fulmar
    • Map
  9. Marine Conservation Zones: Greater Haig Fras
    • Map
  10. Marine Conservation Zones: Hartland Point to Tintagel
    • Map
  11. Marine Conservation Zones: Holderness Inshore
    • Map
  12. Marine Conservation Zones: Mounts Bay
    • Map
  13. Marine Conservation Zones: Newquay and the Gannel
    • Map
  14. Marine Conservation Zones: North-West of Jones Bank
    • Map
  15. Marine Conservation Zones: Offshore Brighton
    • Map
  16. Marine Conservation Zones: Offshore Overfalls
    • Map
  17. Marine Conservation Zones: Runnel Stone
    • Map
  18. Marine Conservation Zones: Runswick Bay
    • Map
  19. Marine Conservation Zones: The Needles
    • Map
  20. Marine Conservation Zones: The Swale Estuary
    • Map
  21. Marine Conservation Zones: Utopia
    • Map
  22. Marine Conservation Zones: West of Walney
    • Map
  23. Marine Conservation Zones: Western Channel
    • Map

2013 MCZ designation orders and factsheets

  1. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Aln Estuary
    • Map
  2. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Beachy Head West
    • Map
  3. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Estuaries
    • Map
  4. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: The Canyons
    • Map
  5. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Chesil Beach and Stennis Ledges
    • Map
  6. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Cumbria Coast
    • Map
  7. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: East of Haig Fras
    • Map
  8. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Folkestone Pomerania
    • Map
  9. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Fylde
    • Map
  10. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Isles of Scilly
    • Map
  11. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Kingmere
    • Map
  12. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Lundy
    • Map
  13. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: The Manacles
    • Map
  14. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Medway Estuary
    • Map
  15. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: North East of Farnes Deep
    • Map
  16. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Padstow Bay and Surrounds
    • Map
  17. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Pagham Harbour
    • Map
  18. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Poole Rocks
    • Map
  19. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Skerries Bank and Surrounds
    • Map
  20. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: South Dorset
    • Map
  21. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: South-West Deeps (West)
    • Map
  22. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Swallow Sand
    • Map
  23. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Tamar Estuary
    • Map
  24. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Thanet Coast
    • Map
  25. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Torbay
    • Map
  26. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Upper Fowey and Pont Pill
    • Map
  27. Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Whitsand and Looe Bay
    • Map
Published 21 November 2013
Last updated 4 February 2016 + show all updates
  1. Updated GIS data on designated MCZs is now available.
  2. Page reviewed and updated as 23 new MCZ designations have been announced.
  3. First published.
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