STORM PETRELS AND MANX SHEARWATERS SHOULD BENEFIT FROM PROPOSED EXTENSION TO ISLES OF SCILLY SPECIAL PROTECTION AREA

PLANS to extend the Isles of Scilly Special Protection Area by almost 13,000 hectares should help safeguard breeding populations of 13 seabird species, including storm petrel and Manx shearwater.

The proposal was announced today by Natural England which has opened a consultation process which will run until May  21.

The Scillies have a greater diversity of breeding seabirds than anywhere else in England.

The extended boundary seeks to safeguard not just nesting sites but also areas used for feeding, resting, preening and other social interactions.

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago of over 200 low-lying granite islands and rocks situated 45km South-west of Land’s End in Cornwall.

Says Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey: “Our coastline is home to some of the most magnificent wildlife in the world and we are proud to be a world leader in protecting our marine environment.

“It is suggested that these new protections will provide thousands of birds on the Isles of Scilly with a safe haven for foraging and feeding, safeguarding precious marine habitats for future generations. 

Thérèse Coffey - 'safe haven'

“I welcome the consultation and encourage local residents and others to give their views.”

Agreement comes from interim chief executive of Natural England, Marian Spain, who comments: “Extending the Isles of Scilly Special Protection Area would bring huge benefits for some of our most important seabird colonies.

“We look forward to hearing what people think and, hopefully, working with everybody who lives, works in and visits the Scillies to make these plans become a reality and make this coastline a key addition to the UK’s marine protection network.”

Special Protection Areas are sites designated to protect populations of rare and vulnerable seabirds from human activity while minimising disturbance to birds’ open water feeding areas. 

There are already 47 such sites designated in English waters.
They are just one type of the many Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in place around the UK to conserve rare, threatened and nationally important habitats and species for future generations.

As part of the Government’s commitment to becoming a world-leader in marine protection, it has now protected 36 per cent of English waters through the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) network, recently held a consultation on designating 41 new Marine Protection Areas and called for a third of the world’s oceans to be protected as MPAs by 2030.