Consultation on Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs)

Overview

The purpose of this consultation is to seek your views on the proposals to designate a number of candidate Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in English waters.

HPMAs are areas of the sea that allow the protection and full recovery of marine ecosystems. HPMAs are defined in the Benyon review and government response as “areas of the sea that allow the protection and recovery of marine ecosystems by prohibiting extractive, destructive and depositional uses and allowing only non-damaging levels of other activities to the extent permitted by international law”. By setting aside some areas of sea with high levels of protection, HPMAs will allow nature to recover to a more natural state, allowing the ecosystem to thrive.

We are consulting on five candidate HPMAs and following this consultation government will choose which of these to designate. The proposals cover a diverse range of species and habitats, from intertidal mudflats and biogenic reefs to kelp forests and mosaics of subtidal sedimentary habitats.

The consultation is an opportunity to provide your views on the five HPMAs which are candidates for designation, including their boundaries, and provide any relevant evidence you may have. Your response to this consultation, along with evidence we will gather from other sources including site visits, will be taken into account in determining which pilot HPMAs to designate and what the final boundaries of sites will be.