With your help, we've achieved laws - the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act which covers England and Wales, and more recently the Marine (Scotland) Act - that finally give our oceans the urgent and effective protection they deserve. But this is just the start.
The UK, Welsh and Scottish Governments must now use these new powers to create protected areas for creatures as diverse as basking sharks, seabirds and corals, and their habitats, to recover and prosper without the threat of human activities.
In Northern Ireland we're continuing to campaign for effective legislation to cover their inshore waters, to ensure all the UK's seas are fully protected.
Together, we can help safeguard our sea life.
The marine areas on the map are extremely important for seabirds and need to be protected as Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). Click a map marker to find out more about the birds needing protection at each site.
19 August 2010
Posted by Kate
6 July 2010
Posted by helen moncrieff
Visit the sealife blog to see all blog posts
Hi. I'm Mark Bolton. I spend a lot of my time wrapped up in waterproofs on remote coasts and islands for the RSPB.
But what does my job have to do with the unprecedented challenges our sea life is facing, and how can you help?
Read about my life with seabirds to find out more.
We work hard on a wide range of issues to influence marine policy and legislation - helping to protect seabirds and their habitats from the impacts of human activities.
Find out more about our policy work
With much of our marine wildlife at risk, this year we're asking our junior supporters to help us. Any money raised will go towards our work setting up safe places for sea creatures.
Do you love to be beside the sea? Help us show off our coast and all its wildlife by adding your pictures to our fantastic gallery.
See all the pictures
13 August 2010
Teenager rides over 200 miles from London to Wales for charity
7 June 2010
Filey byelaw could prevent seabird deaths
See all the sealife news in the archive
Our seas are rich in wildlife, yet many of our precious native habitats and species are under threat or in decline.
Ever-increasing pressures from human activities are putting animals such as magnificent basking sharks, delicate cold water corals, exotic seahorses and the 26 species of seabird which nest along the UK's coastline at risk.
Find out more about the threats our seas face.
Our marine environment urgently needs protection. A one-off donation from you today will help our work to protect the varied and wonderful creatures of the untamed oceans. By giving a regular gift, you'll become a Sea Life Guardian and help lead the way through these tough times.