A pioneering project is being launched in the South West during spring 2007 to breathe new life into the coasts and seas around Cornwall, Devon and Dorset - a region where the sea is central to communities and the economy.
Finding Sanctuary will aim to create the very first network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the UK, by balancing the needs of the people who depend on the sea for their livelihoods or leisure activities, with the protection and conservation of marine habitats and sea life.
The foundations of the Finding Sanctuary project have been considered and researched for two years and its ethics centre strongly on shared and careful decision-making. The 90,000km2 of sea stretching from the coast to the continental shelf is, as yet, a blank canvas and the decisions about the location and nature of the MPA network will fall on an impartial Steering Group. This Group will be made up of representatives from a balance of interests, including the fishing industry, angling, leisure, enforcement and conservation. Finding Sanctuary’s involvement will extend only as far as facilitating the decision-making process and communicating recommendations back to Government - it will not at any stage have the power or authority to implement MPAs.
Tom Hooper, Project Manager for Finding Sanctuary, explains: “The success of Finding Sanctuary rests on the input, understanding and commitment of everyone who has an interest in the coasts and seas in the South West - especially fishermen, anglers, divers and conservationists but also residents and tourists who enjoy the lifestyle the South West coastline brings. The pivotal role of Finding Sanctuary is to ensure that sites are well planned to provide better protection for a diverse number of species, and are suited, and preferably advantageous, to the needs of those that use the seas.”
Finding Sanctuary has outlined how it will incorporate the guidance and opinions of individuals with ecological and physical information. Various channels will be used to glean information:
· Fisherman, divers, anglers, conservationists and tourism bodies will be invited to speak face to face with Project Liaison Officers
· The Central Planning Unit – will gather ecological and physical information
· The Steering Group – will collate, examine, evaluate and endorse all these findings
