PLANS to protect Dorset's marine wildlife have been criticised for a ‘lack of ambition’.

Next year, areas of the UK’s waters which add up to three times the size of Cornwall will get new protection under Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) plans for Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ).

This will include a stretch of Chesil Beach between Portland and Abbotsbury and Stennis Ledges, meaning safety for native oysters and pink sea-fan corals which inhabit the area.

But Dorset Wildlife Trust said it is disappointed that the plans don’t go far enough to protect more areas.

It says only 31 of 127 sites recommended by experts will be assigned as Marine Conservation Zones, meaning a ‘lack of a coherent network’ of protected sites.

It added that 127 sites were recommended after two years of input by more than one million stakeholders across the marine conservation industry, at a cost of more than £8.8m to the government.

Peter Tinsley, living seas manager at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “We are disappointed that promised coherent network of marine protected areas is not going to be delivered by designating such a small number of sites nationally.

“The network was designed to ensure that we don’t end up with isolated and vulnerable sites and to ensure that the wide range of marine habitats found in UK seas are protected.

“In Dorset, we are especially surprised and dismayed that Studland is not included.

“The evidence and the ecological value of this site are overwhelming and we will be arguing strongly for its inclusion.

“We accept that the site at Kimmeridge is too small to be viable and will argue that it should be increased, and we will push for the inclusion of the South of Portland site, which includes the extraordinary underwater cliffs of Portland Deep.”

Defra said MCZ areas will be created ‘in the right places in the right way’.

It added that decisions have been made on scientific evidence which will ensure successful, well-managed sites.

A Defra Spokesperson said: “This is not about numbers or about drawing lines on a map.

“It is about setting out what we are protecting and where, and that these areas are properly managed to protect the marine environment.

“The sites we designate will be done so based on sound scientific evidence.”

*OTHER proposed sites for the South West are: East of Fras; Southwest Deeps (West); The Canyons; Lundy; Padstow Bay and Surrounds; Isles of Scilly; The Manacles; Upper Fowey and Pont Pill; Whitsand and Looe Bay; Tamar Estuary; Skerries Bank and Surround; South of Dorset and Poole Rocks.

 

*THE public consultation on the conservation zones will take place until March 31, 2013.
Environment minister Richard Benyon, above, said: “I am keen to receive feedback from anyone with an interest in our seas.
“We have taken the decision to leave the highly protected Reference Areas out of this consultation and will carry out a separate review expected to commence in 2013.”
To take part, visit defra.gov.uk/consult