Research and development (R&D) on marine recovery will continue until at least the end of the current financial year. Further R&D beyond that will be subject to prioritisation through the internal business planning process.

The UK’s Blue Planet Fund supports partners in South East Asia to protect their corals reefs and mangroves by providing funding for locally-led solutions, technical assistance, and to catalyse additional finance. The UK is the largest donor to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, a blended finance instrument that mobilises action to protect, restore and safeguard coral reefs and the communities that depend on them. Our bilateral programme, Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transitions (COAST), works closely with partners in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. The UK has also signed the Mangrove Breakthrough and the High-Level Climate-Resilient Coral Reef Commitment.

The timing for any future marine net gain scheme will depend on its scope. Our current priority is building the evidence base for marine recovery more broadly, which we are doing through our research and development programme.

No. The UK uses a combination of grants and other instruments, including loans, as most appropriate to deliver the intended outcomes and provide the best value for money. The majority of UK ICF will continue to be provided through grants. No existing ICF programmes have been switched from grants to loans linked with the recent announcement of £2 bus fares.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) consulted last year on fisheries byelaws to restrict bottom trawling in a further 41 Marine Protected Areas. These proposals are substantial, covering 30,000 square kilometres or 13% of English waters and we must ensure we get them right. The MMO is carefully considering the very large number of responses received to the consultation, and decisions will be made in due course.

Internationally, we remain a leading advocate for ambitious ocean action. We continue to share the lessons we are learning from our UK experience through our membership of key alliances, whilst our scientific expertise, international finance and technical assistance continues to deliver real impact globally.

Defra is working with its agencies, the Met Office and research community to monitor and understand potential impacts of high ocean temperatures on marine biodiversity. Satellite observations and data from ships, buoys, floats and gliders are used to track marine heatwaves, forecast ocean temperature changes and model potential impacts on the health of our seas. Research is examining links between high temperatures and biodiversity, including shifts in fish and shellfish populations, damage to important habitats such as seagrass and kelp, and incidence of harmful algal blooms and marine life mortality events.

Defra is working with its agencies, the Met Office and the research community to understand the potential impacts of marine heatwaves on marine species and habitats. This includes funding the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership and collecting reports of impacts to fisheries and marine biodiversity that may be linked to the recent heatwaves. The Department will use the 4th National Adaptation Plan to set out how the government will continue to manage the impacts of climate change in our seas, including marine heatwaves.

On sustainable fisheries, Defra is actively engaged throughout the UN system working with a range of countries to promote sustainable management and improved international governance of fisheries. We are also a member of five Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, where we again work with other members to deliver sustainable outcomes. In addition, Defra undertakes a range of direct engagement with the EU, Norway, and other Coastal States in the Northeast Atlantic, which includes a series of annual negotiations focused on determining sustainable fishing opportunities. We are also working closely with partners at the World Trade Organisation to deliver UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.6, which aims to prohibit those fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

On protecting the marine biodiversity, Defra is actively engaged in global action to tackle the shared challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, through global and regional intergovernmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. Defra and FCDO drive progress on international ocean governance by working in partnership with other countries, especially small island developing states (SIDS). UK Official Development Assistance supports action for people and nature through the Blue Planet Fund. We also work through a range of partnerships to deliver on shared objectives including the global target to effectively conserve and manage 30% of land and 30% of ocean by 2030; and to build momentum towards a sustainable ocean economy.

All Offshore Wind developments are subject to stringent assessment of their environmental impacts through the consenting process, including Environmental Impact Assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessments and Marine Conservation Zone Assessments.

Where a development may impact protected marine features, the ‘compensation hierarchy’ must be followed where impacts must firstly be avoided then mitigated. If impacts remain after these two stages, suitable environmental compensatory measures are then required as part of the development consenting process.

More broadly, Defra supports research to improve the evidence base on the environmental impact of offshore wind including by partnerships with The Crown Estate and the Offshore Wind Industry Council.

We recognise rewilding and restoration of habitats and species plays a role in supporting thriving and productive seas. In the Environment Improvement Plan, through the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) programme we aim to restore at least 15% of priority habitat, such as saltmarsh, seagrass and oyster reefs along the English coast by 2043.

Our Marine Protected Area network review is exploring ways to better address biodiversity loss, recover our seas and improve climate change resilience. We are exploring how Highly Protected Marine Areas can be used to support goals.

The Government is committed to protecting and improving the marine environment at home and internationally to meet the global commitment to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.

The Government introduced legislation on 10 September 2025 to enable the UK to implement its obligations under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement and move towards ratification. The Act received Royal Assent on 12 February. Further secondary legislation will be required before the BBNJ Agreement can be ratified by the UK. This will happen when the parliamentary timetable allows. Under the BBNJ Agreement, the Conference of the Parties can establish area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas, in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Once we have ratified the Agreement, as a Party the UK will be able to participate fully in decisions on the establishment of such tools.

We continue to take legislative and non-legislative steps to protect our domestic marine environments.

The Marine Recovery Fund was established on 17 December 2025 with secondary legislation laid on the same date. The MRF’s aim is to help accelerate decision-making within the planning and consenting process for offshore wind, while delivering effective compensation to protect the marine environment. Government has also laid secondary legislation on 26 February to create a more flexible approach to environmental compensation for offshore wind, whilst also unlocking opportunities for nature recovery at scale.

In June 2025, the Marine Management Organisation launched a consultation proposing plans to limit bottom trawling in a further 41 MPAs, covering 30,000 sq km of England’s waters. Defra also launched a consultation on proposed changes to the marine licensing process. Defra and the Marine Management Organisation are carefully considering all responses received before making any decisions on future legislation.