A Marine Character Area (MCA) is a marine geographic area around the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

coastline, designated by

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales () is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Countryside Council for Wales, E ...

for the purposes of characterising the key natural, cultural and perceptual influences on the defined area. MCAs are part of the Welsh Government's response to the

European Landscape Convention The European Landscape Convention of the Council of Europe, also known as the Florence Convention, is the first international treaty to be exclusively devoted to all aspects of European landscape. It applies to the entire territory of the Parties ...

and the 2011 UK Marine Policy Statement (MPS), itself a response to the

Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (c. 23) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates "a new system of marine management". Provisions Marine Management Organisation Section 1(1) creates the Marine Management Organi ...

. Welsh MCAs are described in a series of documents originated in 2014.

List of Marine Character Areas

* MCA 1 Dee Estuary (Wales)
pdf
* MCA 2 Colwyn Bay and Rhyl flats
pdf
* MCA 3 Red Wharf and Conwy Bays
pdf
* MCA 4 North Wales Open Waters
pdf
* MCA 5 North-West Anglesey Open Waters
pdf
* MCA 6 North Anglesey Coastal Waters
pdf
* MCA 7 Holyhead Bay and the Skerries
pdf
* MCA 8 West Anglesey Open Waters
pdf
* MCA 9 Holy Island West and Penrhos Bay
pdf
* MCA 10 Menai Strait
pdf
* MCA 11 Caernarfon Bay
pdf
* MCA 12 Llyn and South West Anglesey Open Waters
pdf
* MCA 13 Llyn and Bardsey Island
pdf
* MCA 14 Tremadog Bay and Dwyryd Estuary
pdf
* MCA 15 Cardigan Bay North and Estuaries
pdf
* MCA 16 Cardigan Bay (South)
pdf
* MCA 17 Outer Cardigan Bay
pdf
* MCA 18 West Pembrokeshire Coastal Waters and Islands
pdf
* MCA 19 West Pembrokeshire Islands Bars and Inshore Waters
pdf
* MCA 20 Irish Sea Offshore
pdf
* MCA 21 Milford Haven
pdf
* MCA 22 South Pembrokeshire Coastal and Inshore Waters
pdf
* MCA 23 South Pembrokeshire Open Waters
pdf
* MCA 24 Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries
pdf
* MCA 25 Gower and Helwick Coastal Waters
pdf
* MCA 26 Swansea Bay and Porthcawl
pdf
* MCA 27 Glamorgan Coastal Waters and Nash Sand
pdf
* MCA 28 Bristol Channel (Wales)
pdf
* MCA 29 Severn Estuary (Wales)
pdf

References

{{reflist

External links

Marine Character Area
from Natural Resources Wales
UK Marine Policy Statement
Environment of Wales