The reef is at high risk from fisheries, particularly bottom-towed fishing gear. The Eddystone Reef (part of the Start Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone SAC, South West UK) is designated solely for its reef features.
In accordance with legislation, the UK has adopted a feature-based approach to MPA designation and monitoring, whereby protection of listed species and habitats are prioritised. In UK (English) waters, MPAs incorporate Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), each with specific conservation objectives. The global marine environment has seen recent rapid growth in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The mosaic nature of the reef with narrow bedrock ridges interspersed with cobble reef and sediments makes it difficult to map accurately using acoustic data. Annex I Reef was observed at all stations where imagery data were acquired.
The structure of the Annex I Reef within the SAC varies between exposed bedrock, stony reef formed of a mosaic of boulders, cobbles and shallow sand deposits, and coarse sediment, forming ridges and flat inclined planes. Wight-Barfleur Reef SAC is situated in a moderate to high energy environment, with a tidal model showing weak to moderately strong tidal flows but known high shear stress at the seabed. Wight-Barfleur Reef SAC is located in the central English Channel and is designated for Annex I Reef habitats, containing both the bedrock and stony reef forms.
#Photo supreme stamp metadata series#
This report explores data acquired from a survey of Wight-Barfleur Reef offshore Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in 2017, which will form part of the ongoing time series data and evidence for this Marine Protected Area (MPA).
0 kommentar(er)
