Marine Conservation Zone
Wednesday 28th May 2014
Find out more about Marine Conservation Zones
Our seas are home to some of the best marine wildlife in Europe, with a wide range of underwater habitats and species. To provide protection to the best areas of seabed or the rarest species, the government has been working towards setting up a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) across England and Wales.
One type of marine protected area is called a Marine Conservation Zone or MCZ. These are sites of national importance which have been selected to include the range of marine wildlife that is found in our waters, both close inshore and offshore. One of the first MCZ sites to be designated is the Upper Fowey and Pont Pill MCZ, which at 2km2 is one of the smallest sites.
Unusually, this MCZ is made up of two separate parts of the estuary. The larger part covers the upper reaches of the Fowey and Lerryn rivers, whilst the smaller area includes the upper part of Pont Pill. These areas are important for their mudflats and saltmarshes, as well as rocky outcrops where the sheltered waters of the estuary allow unusual marine plants and animals to flourish.
Marine Conservation Zones are designed to be places where human activities can continue, providing they do not damage the wildlife within them. Responsibility for looking after this site lies with several organisations including Cornwall Inshore Fisheries & Management Authority (Cornwall IFCA), a local organisation which manages fisheries activities around the Cornish coast.
On Monday 16th June, Fowey Harbour Commissioners, Fowey Estuary Partnership, Cornwall IFCA and Natural England are holding an open evening at the Royal Fowey Yacht Club at 7pm for anyone who is interested to have an opportunity to hear more about this MCZ, why it is such an important area and how they can get involved in looking after it in the future.
Any queries contact Claire Hoddinott on 01726 832471.
To see the poster of the event, click on the button below:
