Courtesy of the Goodwin Sands SOS group.
Goodwin Sands Marine Conservation Zone designation
We hope you will have heard about Michael Gove's recent announcement that Goodwin Sands recommended Marine Conservation Zone (rMCZ) is included in the third and final tranche of MCZs that make up the Government's Blue Belt programme.
This is excellent news for the campaign as the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have confirmed that Dover Harbour Board (DHB) will now need to undertake a full MCZ assessment, which should include the need to prove that the public benefit from their dredging will outweigh the environmental damage it will inevitably cause.
You can read the whole rMCZ designation document here or just the Goodwin Sands factsheet here
We will be responding as a campaign but we feel DEFRA would really sit up and take notice if as many of our supporters could respond as well. If we can get this MCZ designation put in place now, the threat to the Goodwins from dredging could be well and truly knocked on the head.
Unless you have a PhD in biology or ecology we don't suggest you complete DEFRA's online survey, although we know that a few brave souls have tried. Instead, a short and simple email, written from the heart to
mcz@defra.gsi.gov.uk should do the trick.
