Isle of Wight MP, Bob Seely, has welcomed the announcement made by Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, today (16th January) that there are to be new protections for the breeding and foraging grounds of rare and vulnerable seabirds in the Solent – the fifth most important foraging site in the UK.
Nearly 1,000 pairs of three species of the seabird tern will benefit from a new Solent and Dorset Coast Special Protection Area (SPA) which will span an area equivalent to over 125,000 football pitches.
SPA’s are designated to protect rare and vulnerable seabirds from human activity, such as fishing or outdoor recreation.
New strategy to protect our seabirds
Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, said:
“We have already protected important nesting sites for seabirds, such as the little tern, and these new and additional protections to their feeding grounds, together with the development of a new strategy to protect our seabirds, will help the coastal environment recover, develop and, importantly, thrive.”
Seely: “Unique and important habitat”
Bob said:
“The coastal waters around the Island provide some unique and important habitat for the UK seabird population which is of global importance. I welcome this news that provides additional protection for them.
“Yet again we have earned another environmental designation that both highlights the Island’s wonderful ecology and provides much-needed protection for our wildlife.”
Critical conservation importance
The UK holds around one-quarter of Europe’s breeding seabirds, with the marine SPA network being of critical conservation importance for many of the UK’s birds.
Marine industries are already required to conduct Habitats Regulations Assessments in the relevant area due to the presence of the existing coastal SPAs, therefore it is not anticipated that there will be any additional requirements as a result of this designation.
Designating this site will help to provide more clarity on where the foraging boundaries are which should make the assessments easier for industry to conduct.
News shared from the office of Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Robert Seely. Ed
Image: andymorffew under CC BY 2.0
