The Skerries Bank and Surrounds MCZ is an inshore site located on the South Devon coast. It runs along the coast from Leek Cove at Limebury Point to Torcross, and extends from the coast line out to depths of approximately 70 metres. The site overlaps with the Start Point Inshore Potting Agreement. Skerries Bank and Surrounds is an area that supports a highly diverse range of species that live on the seabed or in the water column and is also known to be an important breeding area for flat fish.
Skerries Bank and Surrounds is known to cover an area that has a high diversity of seabed-dwelling species. The wide range of seabed types within the site contributes to this level of biodiversity by providing a variety of environments where marine wildlife can live. Skerries Bank and Surrounds has the largest extent of moderate energy infralittoral rock found within any of the Marine Conservation Zones in the south west region. Protecting this, as well as 10 other habitat types means this is an important site.
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The Devon Avon Estuary MCZ covers an area of 2 km2 and is located on the south coast of Devon, in the Western Channel and Celtic Sea region. The site extends from the mouth of the estuary up to a tidal weir at Aveton Gifford.
The Devon Avon Estuary is a narrow meandering drowned river valley of about 7 km in length, which lies within a steep sided valley. It is characterised by a subtidal river channel bisecting the intertidal areas, which are sandy in the outer reaches and muddier in the inner reaches. The mouth of the estuary has semi-exposed rock platforms with rich rockpool, under-boulder and overhang communities on the lower shore.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-devon-avon-estuary
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The Erme Estuary MCZ is an inshore site that covers an area of approximately 1 km². The Erme is located on the south coast of Devon and opens into the Western Channel and Celtic Sea region.
The site covers the whole estuary from the mouth of the river to the limits of the tidal influence near the village of Ermington. The MCZ falls within the Erme Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest and at the mouth of the river it overlaps with the Prawle Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone Site of Community Importance.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-erme-estuary
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The Axe Estuary MCZ is an inshore site that covers an area of approximately 0.33 km². The site is within the Axe Estuary in Devon which runs from near Colyford to Axmouth and Seaton, opening up into Lyme Bay. The site is constrained by the boundaries of the estuary and lies adjacent to the Seaton Wetlands, a series of local nature reserves.
The Axe Estuary is an important link between the surrounding wetlands and the open sea. The areas of coastal saltmarshes, intertidal sediments and rocky habitats act as important nursery grounds for juvenile fish, including sea bass, and support habitats for sensitive species of birds, crustaceans (such as crabs, lobsters and barnacles) and molluscs (such as mussels, native oysters and cockles). The estuary is also home to the critically endangered European eel.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-axe-estuary
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The Otter Estuary MCZ is a small inshore site that covers an area of approximately 0.11 km². The estuary opens into the eastern Channel on the south coast of Devon by the town of Budleigh Salterton. The site extends from the mouth of the river up to the aqueduct near East Budleigh.
The Otter Estuary is a small but important ecosystem supporting a range of habitats and wildlife. It is an essential link from the sea to the River Otter where it serves as a migratory route for European eel, Atlantic salmon, sea trout and shad. The mouth of the estuary is almost completely covered by a shingle bank of intertidal coarse sediment extending from the west coast of the river. The sheltered areas behind the bank have created the perfect environment for the formation of highly productive intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-otter-estuary
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The North West of Lundy MCZ is an inshore site that covers an area of 173 km2, extending in an arc between the 6 nautical mile (nm) and 12 nm limits, 15 km northwest of Lundy. It is located in the Western Channel and Celtic Sea region.
The North West of Lundy site contains a large area of subtidal coarse sediment which provides habitat that supports a variety of species, for example segmented bristle worms, venus clams and small crustaceans (such as crabs and barnacles) living within and on top of the sediment. Coarse sediments include coarse sand, gravel, pebbles and shingle. The habitat is often unstable due to tidal currents and/or wave action.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-north-west-of-lundy
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East of Start Point MCZ is an offshore site which covers an area of 116 km2. It is located in the Eastern Channel region, approximately 20 km off Torquay and 12 miles south of Lyme Bay.
The seabed within East of Start Point MCZ is predominantly composed of subtidal sand. Most animals that live in this type of habitat are found on the surface of the sand or buried within it, such as worms, bivalve molluscs (such as razor clams and mussels) and flat fish. The site is a spawning and nursery ground for a number of fish species such as lemon sole, sand eels, mackerel, thornback ray and spotted ray.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-east-of-start-point
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The Morte Platform MCZ is an inshore site that covers an area of around 25 km2. It is located in the Western Channel and Celtic Sea region and lies approximately 5 km off the coast of north Devon.
Morte Platform contains a mix of habitats that is rarely represented elsewhere in the UK, primarily due to the high tidal flows, high sediment content within the water column, and the mosaic of sediment and rock ridges within the site.
Subtidal sediment provides important nursery grounds for many ecologically and commercially important fish such as flatfish (e.g. sole and plaice), seabass and sand eel (an important prey species for seabirds such as puffin and guillemots) as well as supporting nationally rare Ross worm reefs. Circalittoral rock habitats support a range of marine life, including worms, sponges, soft and hard corals, bryozoans, small, filter feeding animals and mobile species in more sheltered areas.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-morte-platform
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Hartland Point to Tintagel MCZ is an inshore site on the north coast of Devon and Cornwall in the south west of England. The site covers 304 km² and follows the coastline along the mean high water mark from Tintagel Head to Hartland Point.
This MCZ contains rocky habitats in deeper waters (circalittoral rock) which are dominated by a mosaic of different marine creatures such as sponges, anemones and sea-fan corals living on the rocky surfaces. Intertidal sand and rocky areas, covered by water at high tide and exposed to the air at low tide, provide habitats for many species, including the honeycomb worm. Honeycomb worm reefs are formed from the closely-packed sand tubes constructed by these colonial worms. The reef structures resemble honeycomb and can extend for tens of metres across and up to a metre tall. They, in turn, are able to support a wide range of shore-dwelling species including anemones, snails, shore crabs and seaweeds. The pink sea-fan coral which is a slow-growing colony of tiny anemone-like animals feeds from the water column and can provide shelter to other creatures.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-hartland-point-to-tintagel
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This site protects a wide range of habitats, from beaches of intertidal sand, which are exposed to the air at low tide and below water at high tide, to subtidal sediment and rock habitats, which are permanently submerged. This site is important for creating connectivity between sites along the north coast of Devon and Cornwall. Low energy Infralittoral rock: shallow water rock, below the tides, sheltered from waves and currents
This MCZ helps to fill a gap in the network for honeycomb worm reefs, which are formed from the closely-packed sand tubes constructed by these colonial worms. The reef structures resemble honeycomb and can extend for tens of metres across and up to a metre tall. They, in turn, are able to support a wide range of shore-dwelling species including anemones, snails, shore crabs and seaweeds.
This site also protects a range of important and vulnerable species such as the pink sea-fan coral which is a slow-growing colony of tiny anemone-like animals. These coral feed on microscopic animals captured from the passing water. Pink sea-fans are themselves home to other creatures including a sea slug and a rare anemone. Dogfish also attach their eggs to pink sea-fans, wrapping the long tendrils at the corners of the ‘Mermaid’s Purse’ eggcase around the sea-fan’s branches. This site also protects the spiny lobster, whose common name comes from the sharp spines all over their heavy, orange-brown shells.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-bideford-to-foreland-point
https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=UKMCZ0029
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