High-level Conservation Advice for Public Authorities on Highly Protected Marine Areas 2022

Abstract

The High-Level Conservation Advice for Public Authorities on Highly Protected Marine Areas will be updated in due course to reflect changes to the feature description and conservation objectives which are set out in HPMA designation orders.

Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) are defined in the Benyon Review into HPMAs and the Government response to the HPMA review as: “Areas of the sea that allow the protection and recovery of marine ecosystems by prohibiting extractive, destructive and depositional uses and allowing only non-damaging levels of other activities to the extent permitted by international law”.

Defra commissioned Natural England and JNCC to produce High-level Conservation Advice for Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) under Section 127 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act (MCAA), to support Public Authorities to fulfil their duties when candidate HPMAs become material consideration. This occurred at the point of public consultation on 6 July 2022.

In consultation with Defra, the Marine Management Organisation and the Environment Agency, JNCC with Natural England have developed high-level conservation advice.

The high-level conservation advice is provided under Section 127 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act, advising on matters which are capable of damaging or otherwise affecting the protected feature and thereby likely to hinder the conservation objective of a HPMA.

The purpose of the high-level conservation advice is to support Public Authorities to exercise their functions in a manner that furthers or least hinders the conservation objective stated for HPMAs. It will support Public Authorities in the delivery of their duties under Section 125 (General duties of public authorities in relation to MCZs) and Section 126 (Duties of public authorities in relation to certain decisions) of the MCAA.

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