Lundy MCZ is an inshore site that covers a rectangular area of 31 km2 around Lundy Island. Situated 19 km off the North Devon coast, Lundy is the largest island in the Bristol Channel. The marine area around Lundy has long been recognised for its ecological importance and as such was established as England’s first Marine Nature Reserve (NMR) in 1986. When the Marine and Coastal Access Act came into force in 2009 the site was converted from an NMR to a MCZ in January 2010. The MCZ boundary is identical to the boundary of Lundy Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and contains an existing no-take zone.
Lundy’s unique situation in the mouth of the Bristol Channel means it is subject to a range of environmental conditions. Both sheltered and exposed areas can be found with some being subject to strong tidal currents and waves. The seabed landscape varies considerably with steeply sloping, vertical and overhanging underwater cliffs all present within the site. The combination of these physical conditions supports a range of complex biological communities, making the area a biodiversity hotspot. Reefs, sandbanks, seacaves and grey seals are already protected as features within the area under the SAC; the MCZ offers additional protection for Spiny lobster that was not previously protected.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zone-2013-designation-lundy
- Hits: 1189
The Morte Platform MCZ is an inshore site that covers an area of around 25 km2. It is located in the Western Channel and Celtic Sea region and lies approximately 5 km off the coast of north Devon.
Morte Platform contains a mix of habitats that is rarely represented elsewhere in the UK, primarily due to the high tidal flows, high sediment content within the water column, and the mosaic of sediment and rock ridges within the site.
Subtidal sediment provides important nursery grounds for many ecologically and commercially important fish such as flatfish (e.g. sole and plaice), seabass and sand eel (an important prey species for seabirds such as puffin and guillemots) as well as supporting nationally rare Ross worm reefs. Circalittoral rock habitats support a range of marine life, including worms, sponges, soft and hard corals, bryozoans, small, filter feeding animals and mobile species in more sheltered areas.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-morte-platform
- Hits: 982
This site protects a wide range of habitats, from beaches of intertidal sand, which are exposed to the air at low tide and below water at high tide, to subtidal sediment and rock habitats, which are permanently submerged. This site is important for creating connectivity between sites along the north coast of Devon and Cornwall. Low energy Infralittoral rock: shallow water rock, below the tides, sheltered from waves and currents
This MCZ helps to fill a gap in the network for honeycomb worm reefs, which are formed from the closely-packed sand tubes constructed by these colonial worms. The reef structures resemble honeycomb and can extend for tens of metres across and up to a metre tall. They, in turn, are able to support a wide range of shore-dwelling species including anemones, snails, shore crabs and seaweeds.
This site also protects a range of important and vulnerable species such as the pink sea-fan coral which is a slow-growing colony of tiny anemone-like animals. These coral feed on microscopic animals captured from the passing water. Pink sea-fans are themselves home to other creatures including a sea slug and a rare anemone. Dogfish also attach their eggs to pink sea-fans, wrapping the long tendrils at the corners of the ‘Mermaid’s Purse’ eggcase around the sea-fan’s branches. This site also protects the spiny lobster, whose common name comes from the sharp spines all over their heavy, orange-brown shells.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-conservation-zones-bideford-to-foreland-point
https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=UKMCZ0029
- Hits: 1048
The Filleigh Park IPA is situated on the southern edge of Exmoor amongst the rolling hills of North Devon. It covers 826 acres around and to the north of Filleigh and straddles the A361.The sites main feature is extensive fine wooded park which lies on the north and south facing slopes of a tributary of the River Taw in North Devon. Fine examples of parkland and wood pasture can be found here with some areas dating back hundreds of years.
- Hits: 1204
With landscapes ranging from dramatic coastal cliffs to windswept heather moors, and densely wooded river valleys to rolling farmland, the Exmoor and Quantock Hills are a rich patchwork of habitats supporting an incredible diversity of plants, fungi and lichens.
- Hits: 1246
The Park forms part of the Arlington Court estate. Nestling in the thickly-wooded valley of the River Yeo, the 1,400-ha estate is centred on a Regency house owned and managed by the National Trust. Some of the woodland here appears to have been in existence by as long ago as the early 16th century.
- Hits: 1142
Braunton Burrows is one of the largest sand dune systems in the United Kingdom. Exposed to the elements, it’s a breathtaking sliver of wind-blown sand with dunes reaching up to 30 metres in height. Over 400 species of wild plants thrive in this remarkable landscape.
- Hits: 1085
This area of saltmarsh and intertidal mudflats on the Taw & Torridge estuary has become an important haven for ducks (such as teal) and waders (including significant numbers of curlew, greenshank and dunlin). Spoonbills may be spotted during the cold winter months.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/isley-marsh/
- Hits: 1430
RSPB Chapel Wood is a fine broadleaved woodland in a beautiful and historic setting, crowned by an Iron Age hill fort. Regular nesting species include tawny owls, nuthatches, plus great spotted and green woodpeckers. Red deer, brown hares and badgers can often be spotted amongst the bluebells, primroses and foxgloves in summer.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/chapel-wood/
- Hits: 1313
