Marine nature reserve (MNR) is a

conservation designation A conservation designation is a name and/or acronym which explains the status of an area of land in terms of conservation or protection. Examples United Kingdom *Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) * Environmentally sensitive area * Local ...

officially awarded by a government to a

marine reserve A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural ...

of national significance.

Republic of Ireland

Lough Hyne, a marine lake off of

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, is Ireland's only marine nature reserve.

United Kingdom

Marine nature reserves were introduced in the UK by the

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (c. 69) is an act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species ...

, and were designed to conserve marine life and geological or physiographical features of special interest. They have similar status and protection to national nature reserves, but were specifically concerned with a marine environment, including both the sea and seabed. In the UK, there are only three statutory MNRs: Lundy Marine Nature Reserve at Lundy Island (Bristol Channel), Skomer Marine Nature Reserve (Pembrokeshire) and

Strangford Lough Strangford Lough () is a large sea lough or inlet in County Down, in the east of Northern Ireland. It is the largest inlet in Ireland and the wider British Isles, covering . The lough is almost fully enclosed by the Ards Peninsula and is linke ...

(County Down). There is a non-statutory voluntary MNR at St Abbs Head, Berwickshire.

Marine conservation zones

Schedule 12 of 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 ...

allows the conversion the existing MNRs into the newer designation

Marine Conservation Zone A Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) is a type of marine nature reserve in United Kingdom, UK waters. They were established under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009) and are areas designated with the aim to prot ...

Isle of Man

The

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

government has designated ten marine nature reserves under the

Wildlife Act 1990 Wildlife refers to undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also ...

, including Ramsey Bay, Laxey Bay, the West Coast Marine Nature Reserve, Douglas Bay, Little Ness, Niarbyl Bay, Port Erin Bay, Calf and Wart Bank Marine Nature Reserve, and Langness.

References

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External links

Naturenet: Marine Nature Reserves
National nature reserves in the United Kingdom Lundy Marine reserves of the United Kingdom