Three is better than none, and it is still amazing that we will be making history in designating highly protected sites for the first time. But it’s nothing like enough – here’s why…

Nature is in big trouble and plummeting at a rate never seen before in history. Decade after decade we have continued to see declines in our wildlife – with 1 in 7 species in the UK now under threat from extinction. Despite all the ‘blue planet moments’ and Sir David Attenborough’s call to action, we are failing to turn the tide and bring wildlife back.

We have lost 20% of coastal habitat in England since 1954, more than 90% of our native oysters reefs in England since the mid 1800s, and up to 92% of seagrass from UK seas. The common skate is common no-more. Populations of angel shark have declined by 99%, basking sharks by 95% since the 1800s too – these are all trends we need to halt, urgently.

This is why designating highly protected sites are so crucially important. They provide nature with a lifeline – a chance to recover. Our shallow seas, diverse seabeds and deep underwater canyons can be healthy, productive and full of life once more. The government came up with a longlist of over 30 important places that deserve the highest protection  and whittled it down to five precious places. Now we discover that only three have made the cut and the long term health of our seas has been sacrificed to the short term interests of the fishing industry – even though the industry has the most to gain from the spillover benefits of HPMAs of increased crab, lobster and other commercial species.

Defra has yet to reveal the site boundaries for the chosen three HPMAs so we can’t calculate the area covered by the three sites of Allonby Bay, Dolphin Head and North-East of Farnes Deep – but I can tell you now that these alone won’t be enough; not when you consider the competing pressures our seas face on a day-to-day basis from damaging fishing practices, development from offshore wind, cabling and dredging.

Currently, we have a network of Marine Protected Areas, but this designation does not automatically prevent damaging activity. Yes, the Marine Management Organisation is currently working to ban damaging fishing activity by 2024, but the whole process is taking a features-based approach and takes time, leaving areas open to continuing damage from bottom-towed trawling, for example.

Marine Protected Areas are also being undermined by other pressures. While it’s vital to recognise the important role that offshore wind has to play in securing cleaner energy, it is astonishing that wind farms are currently being planned within Marine Protected Areas. This needs to stop. The scale of these developments is enormous and severely hampering the recovery of the protected area network.

The new gold standard, Highly Protected Marine Areas, are proven to work. By protecting sites from all damaging activities, the seafloor and waters will recover and become abundant with life once again. Fragile animals such as corals and reefs will return and fish of all shapes and sizes will thrive. This will not only benefit the numerous dolphins, whales, sharks, seabirds and seals which feed in our rich waters, but the spillover of fish into surrounding waters will help restock our seas.

As well as increasing wildlife and habitat benefits, Highly Protected Marine Areas can help us tackle climate change by protecting and recovering habitats important in natural carbon cycles. By banning destructive activities like bottom-trawling, scallop dredging and cable trench building, Highly Protected Marine Areas will prevent the release of carbon from important stores within the seabed. The marine environment is earth’s largest carbon sink and it is vital we recognise this when protecting it.

Highly Protected Marine Areas can provide the essential protection our seas need, and so, while I’m hugely disappointed by the paltry number of chosen sites, I will be celebrating these first three. The Wildlife Trusts will be calling on government to designate more so that we can achieve the goal of 30% of land and sea protected and in recovery by 2030. The clock is ticking…

Sites due to be designated, include:

• Allonby Bay – an important inshore area, located off Cumbria’s coast. This biodiverse area includes important reefs of blue mussels and some of the best examples of honeycomb worm reefs in the UK. It is a spawning area for thornback rays and thought to be an important pupping ground for harbour porpoise. Seabirds such as guillemots frequently feed here. The area contains significant amounts of carbon and provides flood and coastal protection. 
• Dolphin Head – a diverse area offshore in the English Channel, approximately 55km from the Sussex coast. This tide-dominated seascape, influenced by swell from the Atlantic Ocean, contains a wonderful range species including lobsters, eels and reef-building worms. This attracts dolphins and seabirds to feed. However, years of damaging fishing activities have damaged the seabed here. HPMA designation will enable this degraded ecosystem to recover, with benefits for surrounding waters. 
• North-East of Farnes Deep – an area offshore in the North Sea with sediments teeming with life. This area encompasses subtidal sediments important for carbon storage, ocean quahogs, starfish, sea pens, anemones and fish. Dolphins, whales and harbour porpoises use this area – a fantastic hotspot that deserves protection.