Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
7.3.1 The policy context
The proposed network of MCZs is intended to complement existing European marine sites,
such as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protected Areas (SPAs), with the
aspiration to form an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas. The policy
context for this UK study appears on first inspection to be highly specific and limited in
termsofglobaltransferability: MPAsforadevelopedworldnationwithrelatively goodmar-
ine habitat mapping; temperate waters; and relatively few transboundary impacts. However,
the methodology developed in Hussain
et al
. (
2010
) was designed to contend with issues
whichareuniversalinamarineecosystemvaluationcontext:(1)establishabusiness-as-usu-
al (BAU) baseline; (2) conduct a valuation appraisal with a paucity of valuation data points;
(3) ecosystem service values, where available, were expressed in aggregate form, with a
need to determine marginal (incremental) impacts of the policy designation; (4) accounting
for the timing of changes in ecosystem service provisioning relative to BAU; and (5) the
need to apply sensitivity analysis and risk assessment.
The valuation study reported in Hussain
et al
. (
2010
) is an
ex ante
appraisal which
was based on three proposed networks of MCZs. The basis for the selection of networks of
work scenarios based on varying OSPAR (Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of
the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic) and other criteria, as set out in
Table
Table 7.1
Synopsis of protection criteria for Marine Conservation Zones Network Scenarios A, G, and J
Scenario
% of
OSPAR
species and
habitats
included
% of UK
marine
landscapes
included
Network
size (1000
km
2
)
Additional criteria
A
20
10
125.7
None
