Research and analysis

Evidence requirement R142 – Non Licensable impacts on priority MPAs

Updated 1 September 2020

Evidence requirement R142 – Non Licensable impacts on priority MPAs

1. Requirement overview

1.1 Requirement detail

This is a follow on to the previous Evidence Requirement R090 - Impacts of non-licensable activities on Marine Protected Areas which was fulfilled in November 2019 by MMO1136 - Non-licensable Activity Impacts on Marine Protected Areas.

The MMO has an obligation under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to further the conservation objectives of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), including using its byelaw making powers and marine planning policy to directly or indirectly manage non-licensable activities.

Non-licensable activities include a range of activities, from mooring and anchoring to recreational SCUBA diving. Non-licensable activities within MPAs are not well understood in terms of their intensity, both spatially and temporally, particularly in relation to protected features in MPAs. This makes it difficult to consider whether non-licensable activities are having a detrimental impact on an MPA.

Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies such as Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee are responsible for assessing the sensitivity of MPA features to activity pressures. The MMO is interested in improving our understanding of the distribution and intensity of activities which could then support potential management measures for MPAs: Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) and European Marine Sites (EMS) such as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) or Special Protection Areas (SPA). Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) are responsible for considering the impacts of commercial fishing, and due to the difficult nature of separating commercial from recreational fishing, the IFCA assessments also cover recreational fishing impacts inside 6nm.

Types of non-licensable activity have been prioritised by the MMO. Anchoring and mooring has been identified as a priority activity to focus on, this includes the following:

• Powerboating or sailing with an engine: mooring and/or anchoring
• Sailing without an engine: mooring and/or anchoring

The following activities have also been identified, but at a lower priority (in no specific order):

• Powerboating or sailing with an engine: launching and recovery, participation
• Sailing without an engine: launching and recovery, participation
• Non-motorised water craft (e.g. kayaks, windsurfing, dinghies)
• Recreational SCUBA diving
• Swimming

There are currently 175 MPAs in UK non-devolved (MMO) waters, the MMO have identified 32 sites as having features potentially at risk from pressures caused by non-licensable activities. Evidence gathering for these sites is required by 28th February 2021 (in alphabetical order):

Sites A-M	Sites N-Z
Alde, Ore and Butley Estuaries SAC	North Norfolk Coast SAC
Bembridge MCZ	North Norfolk Coast SPA
Benfleet and Southend Marshes SPA	Plymouth Sound and Estuaries SAC
Chichester and Langstone Harbours SPA	Poole Harbour SPA
Essex Estuaries SAC	Solent and Southampton Water SPA
Exe Estuary SPA	Solent Maritime SAC
Fal and Helford SAC	Studland Bay MCZ
Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay SPA	Tamar Estuaries Complex SPA
Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge SAC	Tamar Estuary Sites MCZ
Isles of Scilly Complex SAC	The Manacles MCZ
Isles of Scilly Sites - Hanjague to Deep Ledge MCZ	The Needles MCZ
Isles of Scilly Sites - Men a Vaur to White Island MCZ	The Swale Estuary MCZ
Isles of Scilly Sites - Peninnis to Dry Ledge MCZ	The Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC
Margate and Long Sands SAC	The Wash SPA
Morecambe Bay SAC	Torbay MCZ
Morecambe Bay SPA	Whitsands to Looe Bay MCZ

For each MPA, the following is required:

• Collation of existing data for prioritised activities, from 1st January 2015 to present. Including:

• Spatial and temporal distribution of non-licensable activities over time

• Collection of new data for prioritised activities, throughout 2020/21. Including:

• Spatial and temporal distribution of non-licensable activities over time

• Collation of existing and new data into a GIS layer and production of activity maps for each MPA.

There have been several projects looking specifically at the extent and impact of anchoring and mooring on features in MPAs. MMO1113/ME6003 - Recreational and commercial anchoring and mooring impacts in marine protected areas in Wales and England - was published by Defra in 2017 and there are 2 further ongoing projects looking at priority sites and the impact of Eco-moorings.

1.2 MMO use

Marine Conservation Team (MCT): to provide data to underpin MPA site level assessment to ensure that MCT can accurately assess impacts to MPAs. This will assist MMO in its role to “best furthering/least hinder” conservation objectives.

1.3 External interest

Natural England, Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

2. Aims and objectives

2.1 Aim

To increase our understanding of where non-licensable activities are occurring in priority MPAs so management decisions can be made.

2.2 Objectives

The objectives are the requirement are as follows:

• collate all available spatial data on non-licensable activities (the refined list of MMO focus as above) within all English MPAs into one data layer for analysis
• collect new spatial data on the priority activities in the priority sites
• investigate the feasibility of maintaining spatial data and site management information on priority non-licensable activities in the MMO priority sites
• investigate the feasibility of incorporating new sites or activity types, where required

3. Existing evidence

3.1 MMO

MMO1013 looked to collate existing evidence and spatial data in 2012. This work was able to source data on a range of activities using an online questionnaire coupled with a targeted consultation exercise and literature review. Spatial datasets in GIS format were created and are held by the MMO.

MMO1043 was commissioned to fill spatial data gaps specifically for the south coast marine plans. Several standalone toolset documents were created as part of this project.

MMO1064 grouped recreational activities into broadly similar categories to allow spatial modelling of distributions. This project was commissioned to help model recreational activities in the absence of observation data, though highlights the preference of direct evidence where possible in the future. More recently work undertaken by Natural England and the MMO entitled Managing marine recreation activities: a review of evidence NECR242 attempted to collate and update the evidence base on the significance of impacts from recreational activities on designated features in MPAs, carry out a review and collate case study examples of the range of management options.

MMO1136 This project created an evidence base of the spatial extent of non-licensable activities in MPAs in England through an online questionnaire and stakeholder workshops and forms the basis for this new requirement.

MMO1163 This project created an evidence base of the spatial extent of sea angling around the coast of England.

3.2 Academic

Research into the impact of recreational activities on the marine environment has concentrated on a few key areas, including trampling of the intertidal and upper infralittoral areas, boat anchoring (particularly in seagrass meadows and tropical reefs) and SCUBA diving [Milazzo et al. 2002] outline 16 recreational activities which have been looked at on the global scale: catch and release angling, diving, snorkelling, swimming, boat mooring, anchoring, scientific research, jet skiing, kayaking, wildlife observation, motorised boating, water skiing, surfing, wind surfing, sailing and kite surfing (these have been classed as non-competitive i.e. recreational activities). MPAs were examined for each activity and categorised on whether or not the activity was prohibited, allowed or regulated within each of the sites.

3.3 Other

UK CEED (2000) reviewed the potential effects of land and water-based recreation and recreational infrastructure on European marine sites, with a particular focus on the habitats and species within Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated under the Habitats Regulations. It examined these effects within the context of natural and other human influences and highlights examples of good practice in recreational management. It is based upon a (at the time) comprehensive literature review, wide-ranging consultation and site visits. The report gives both generic and type-specific guidance for dealing with recreation activities, which is useful for this evidence requirement.

4. Further details

For more information or to add further research to the existing evidence list please email [email protected]

First created 13 Feb 2020