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Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009

On the 12 November 2009, after almost a decade of persistent campaigning along with other environmental organisations, the UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill finally received Royal Assent and became law.

The UK's marine wildlife above and below the waves surrounding England and Wales, and in offshore waters around the whole UK, should now be afforded the level of protection it so desperately needs.

However, far from this being the end of our journey, in fact the work to deliver protection on the ground is only just beginning! Our focus now turns to making sure that the legislation is swiftly put into practice so that our marine wildlife and seabirds are protected effectively.

Under the new Act, the UK and Welsh Assembly Governments gained exciting new powers to protect marine wildlife and manage our seas effectively. These include:

• The creation of new Marine Conservation Zones, to ensure important areas for our marine species and habitats are properly protected
• A new marine planning system that will allow Governments to take a strategic and co-ordinated overview of the range of human activities and use of space and resources in our seas, and ensure that there is adequate space for marine wildlife and that we are not pushing the marine environment to or beyond its capacity
• In England and Wales, it also allows for improved management of inshore fisheries that will consider the needs of our marine environment.

Our job now is to make sure these groundbreaking new laws are put into action to safeguard our marine environment.

Getting the legislation is just the first stage in protecting sealife.

In particular, we will be engaging with the ongoing process to identify and designate a network of Marine Conservation Zones.

Over the coming months and years, we will also be closely involved with the development of the new system of marine planning for the UK. From ensuring that the high level UK-wide Marine Policy Statement takes proper consideration of environmental and conservation issues at sea, to the regional and local delivery of marine plans around our coasts.

And in England and Wales, we will be watching the development of new systems of inshore fisheries management very closely to ensure that they take full account of the need to protect our marine environment.

Protection for the whole of the UK

To complete the jigsaw of legislation across the whole of the UK's seas, we also campaigned for legislation to cover Scottish waters. The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 covers Scotland's inshore waters, and contains vital new powers for Ministers, including the designation of a network of Marine Protected Areas and a new marine planning system. 

We are continuing our campaign for the introduction of a Marine Bill for Northern Ireland's inshore waters.

Last modified: 14 April 2010

Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009

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