Net Gain - the North Sea Marine Conservation Zone Project

Net Gain are the project team tasked with the job of overseeing the process of designating Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), the new type of Marine Protected Area brought about through the Marine and Coastal Access Act, within the North Sea.

The project, alongside four other regional projects (Balanced Seas, Finding Sanctuary and the Irish Sea Marine Conservation Zone Project) aims to bring together stakeholders (people with a interest in the sea, those who rely on it for their livelihoods and conservationists) to determine sites requiring protection. Local people and local knowledge is at the heart of the Net Gain project, using local expertise to determine the best locations for these sites.

Marine Conservation Zones, are a type of Marine Protected Area (MPA). MPAs are areas designated to protect marine ecosystems, ecological processes, habitats and species. Their primary objective is the conservation and recovery of marine ecosystems. They have, depending on their requirements, different levels of protection, from partial restrictions to complete exclusion of damaging activity. They are an important tool in nature conservation and can in cases address wider issues, such as pollution and fisheries.

By the end of 2011, Net Gain will identify and recommend Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in the North Sea which will contribute to a wider ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas. For more information on other forms of MPAs click here.

•  For more information on Net Gain visit www.netgainmcz.org/  
• To find out more about the national MCZ projects click here.
• To view the Net Gain draft final report click here

To talk to a Net Gain liasion staff directly contact;

Ian Rowe                                   
Senior Liaison Officer 
07825 290709                                              
ian@yhsg.co.uk