Are there any marine nature reserves in the South East?
There are two kinds of Marine Protected Area in the South East: those that are protected by law, and those that operate on a voluntary basis without legal protection. European marine sites are areas designated under the European Habitats Directive and Birds Directive. In our region, the European marine sites are: Thames Estuary, Swale and Medway, North East Kent, Dungeness to Pett Level, South Wight Maritime and Solent Maritime. However, the protection offered by these sites is not necessarily effective. For example, rare mussel beds in a European marine site in Northern Ireland have recently been completely destroyed by legal fishing activities. There are also several non-statutory Marine Protected Areas in the South East, all off the Sussex coast. These include the Seven Sisters Voluntary Marine Conservation Area, and a number of marine Sites of Nature Conservation Interest. The purpose of these sites is to raise awareness of our marine habitats and influence the way in which they ar
