Consultation on Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs)

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 ke