Written question asked by Duke of Montrose (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Henley (Conservative) on Thursday, 17 June 2010.

Marine Environment: Conservation Zones

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their programme for designating and establishing marine conservation zones under the Marine and Coastal Protection Act 2009; and what is their estimate of the initial cost.

Answer: Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) have set up four regional projects to involve those with an interest in the sea to propose marine conservation zones (MCZs), including impact assessments. These regional projects are due to submit their final draft site selection proposals to the delivery partners by June 2011. These proposals, together with the formal advice from Natural England and the JNCC to Ministers, are due in autumn 2011. The Government’s proposals will be subject to a public consultation, before Defra Ministers designate the sites in late 2012. The estimated cost of implementing the MCZ project between 2008-09 and 2011-12 is £8.8 million. This includes the costs for supporting and funding the regional projects, associated work by Natural England and the JNCC, supporting the Science Advisory Panel, which has been set up to provide independent expert advice throughout the site selection process, and commissioning research to provide evidence essential for decision-making. The ecosystem services framework used to underpin the Marine and Costal Access Act impact assessment estimated the benefit of this work, and similar work being carried out by the devolved Administrations, at between £750 million and £1.6 billion annually.

Secondary information