A total of 68 beaches around England have achieved a Blue Flag Award in the 2016 designations. The Blue Flag Award is an international award presented to well managed beaches with excellent water quality and environmental education programmes. For the first time in history Blackpool South Beach will be flying the Blue Flag Award. A further 111 Seaside Awards […]
Coastal community projects around England are to receive a share of £700,000 funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government to restore local landmarks. Fifteen projects are to receive up to £50,000 each to help rejuvenate historic buildings or cultural and social areas. It is hoped that the project will help to boost the economy […]
World Oceans Day, recognised by the United Nations, is a day to celebrate oceans and promote collaboration for a better future all around the world. This year the theme is “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet” and will focus on preventing plastic pollution in the ocean. Individuals and organisations from all over the world are planning to hold […]
Closing Date: 18th April The North West’s Wildlife Trusts are advertising a new post: Marine Community Engagement Officer. The Officer, to be based with the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, will develop and deliver a programme of work for a community based project supporting local action to safeguard healthy seas and acting […]
Twenty three new Marine Conservation Zones were announced on Sunday 17th January, including two for the North West: Allonby Bay and West of Walney, both in Cumbria. Allonby Bay has been designated for blue mussel beds, honeycomb worm reef peat and a range of habitats such as peat and clay exposures. It is an inshore […]
Application deadline: 28th August The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is currently recruiting members for 3 IFCAs – North Western, North Eastern and Northumberland. The MMO is responsible for appointing local people with relevant expertise to IFCA committees. MMO appointees make up roughly half of IFCA committee membership and are appointed on a voluntary basis. IFCAs […]
Natural England has produced a series of marine site packages for the North West providing advice to help identify the impacts of marine activities within sensitive areas. Each package provides a site overview within a Marine Protected Area (MPA), its conservation objectives and advice for restoring, conserving and protecting its environmental features. Site packages include the […]
The Marine Conservation Society has produced an updated version of its “Good Fish Guide”. The pocket sized document is accessible to the general public, providing information about fish that should and should not be eaten, and fish that can occasionally be eaten to reduce pressures on their stocks. The guide is a small tool that aims to help safeguard […]
Natural England has a statutory obligation to provide conservation advice for all Marine Protected Areas within English territorial waters (0-12 nautical miles). Natural England is currently working alongside the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), undertaking a project to improve conservation advice for terrestrial and marine designated sites. On the 30th March 2015 a report was […]
Natural England are working on the development of recommendations to combine and extend Morecambe Bay and Duddon Estuary Special Protected Area (SPA) to create a single designated area. Both sites host internationally important breeding and non-breeding water birds listed under the Birds Directive such as the little tern Stemula albifrons and sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis. The […]