The Marine Charter has been developed to help develop and maintain the cross party support that parliamentarians have given to MPAs. It states:

‘We the undersigned support Wildlife and Countryside Link’s call for the swift designation of a representative and well managed Ecologically Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas in UK seas by 2016. We call on this and future Governments to ensure that this network meets international principles on coherence, and represents the full range of features in the UK seas as required by the relevant Marine Acts. The full network must include ambitious proposals within the commitment to two future tranches of Marine Conservation Zones in English Seas in 2015/16, alongside wider marine protected areas, and must be well managed to maintain sites that are in good condition and recover those that are damaged. Such a network is essential not only to stem the alarming decline in marine habitats and species, but also to ensure that the enormous social and economic benefits derived from marine goods and services can be realised for generations to come.’  Click here for more information