Marine Conservation Zones (England)

These are the boundaries for Marine Conservation Zones, and Highly Protected Marine Areas, which are both designated under the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009). They protect nationally important marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology. Sites were selected in English inshore and offshore waters to protect not just rare and threatened marine wildlife and habitats, but also the range of biodiversity across biogeographic regions. The Highly Protected Marine Areas project followed the recommendations of the Benyon review in 2022 and sites were selected to achieve the full recovery of the marine ecosystem within the site, including the biotic and abiotic elements of the seabed, water column and surface of the sea. This data layer is composed of boundaries for both Marine Conservation Zones and Highly Protected Marine Areas. These boundary polygons were developed by Natural England and JNCC through a process which involved a number of different stages including the gathering and assessment of evidence, site proposals, consultations and refining of boundaries before final site designation. The boundaries have been drawn using the wide variety of evidence which went into this process. Where inshore sites follow the shoreline, they are usually drawn to follow OS Mastermap MHW.