Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) 

Statement: Caroline Price, RYA Planning & Environmental Advisor, 20 April 2011  

“The RYA has been involved in the Marine Conservation Zone process since the very beginning and has representation on all four of the regional English projects. As well as direct involvement on a regional level, we have also been encouraging recreational boaters to make their views heard on local issues that affect them and helping to ensure these views are fed into wider stakeholder debate.  

“We recognise the importance of the marine environment and acknowledge the Government’s commitment to designating MCZs around the coast of England and Wales. However, we will continue to fight to uphold the public right of navigation and to emphasise the importance of safe anchorages for recreational boaters and we continue to remind Government of the important socio-economic benefits that recreational boating offers.

"We believe that nature conservation and boating can continue to co-exist in UK waters and that seeking to encourage behavioural change rather than implementing regulatory controls is likely to be a more effective way of managing the marine environment.  

“We believe that, by helping other stakeholders to understand where and why we go boating and by making sure the views of recreational boaters are taken into consideration throughout the designation process, the impacts of MCZs on boating can be minimised. The RYA will continue to be a stakeholder on all of the regional MCZ projects and also to contribute to discussions at a national level.”