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Marine Protected Areas

Marine Protected Areas

Marine protected area refers to any protected area in the marine environment which is recognised and managed for nature conservation purposes.

In Wales we have several types of Marine Protected Areas giving different levels of protection:

  • European marine sites (Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC));
  • Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with intertidal and subtidal features;
  • Ramsar sites with marine components;
  • Marine Nature Reserves; and
  • Marine Conservation Zones.
More information can be found on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) website.

Visit: Joint Nature Conservation Committee website (external link)

Different types of Marine Protected Areas booklet

This document was produced by the JNCC. It gives information on the different Marine Protected Areas that are created to protect the natural environment.

Visit: Different types of Marine Protected Areas: Joint Nature Conservation Committee (external link, pdf)