Welcome
The Marine Conservation Zone Project is a partnership project working with people who use the sea for their livelihood or leisure to identify Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). The project area covers English inshore waters and the offshore waters around England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has been split into four regional MCZ projects covering the south-west (Finding Sanctuary), Irish Sea (Irish Sea Conservation Zones), North Sea (Net Gain) and south-east (Balanced Seas).
View
Through this interactive map you can see different information layers which will
help orientate yourself in the marine environment.
Add
Through this map you can input information on how and where you use the sea that
will be used to help plan for Marine Conservation Zones. If you use the sea it’s
vital that we get your input so start your mapping process here. You will need to
register with us first to do this.
Sign in
or
Register
Should you need more information then click on this icon throughout the site for
more information.
Should you require more information or help on using this site please
contact us
Terms and
conditions of use.
Add
Help the regional MCZ project teams plan and recommend Marine Conservation Zones by adding information to the map using the buttons below. All information you add will only be visible to you and the regional MCZ project teams. The regional MCZ project teams will use your information to produce amalgamated data sets to assist in planning and recommendation of MCZs. You can cancel, delete or edit your information at any time, so don’t be afraid to have a go.
FAQs
Why should I contribute my
information?
The information you share will be used by your representatives on the regional project
stakeholder groups to plan Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). The aim is for MCZs
to have the least impact possible on people’s activities, although the recommendations
for MCZs will need to meet national guidelines for protecting species, habitats,
geography and geomorphology. The more information we have about how people use the
sea, the better we can plan MCZs and avoid unnecessary impacts to your activity.
What information do you want
me to share?
We are asking you to tell us which areas of the sea are important to you. Specifically,
we would like you to share with us details of where you go and what you do at sea,
and the environmental knowledge you have for those areas.
Will you use the information
I share with you to stop me going to my favourite spots?
No. The information will be used by your spokesperson on the regional project stakeholder
groups to represent your interests during discussions about potential Marine Conservation
Zones. If they don’t have the information, they can’t make sure the stakeholder
group understands what areas and activities are important to you. It’s also important
to remember that MCZs are not necessarily "no take" zones. While some MCZs may be
highly protected, many activities will be able to continue in others.
Can I share my information
with the project without giving away the location of my secret spots?
The individual sites you mark on the map will be kept confidential. Your data will
be amalgamated with many other people’s data before it is added to our Interactive
Map, so no one individual’s information can be deciphered from this.
Why do I need to register?
We ask you to register before adding your information to ensure that we can contact
you should we need to clarify any of the information you have shared with us.
How do I register/sign in?
To register, select the ‘Register’ link at the top of the welcome screen. Select
your interests (you can always add additional groups later) and click the next button.
Decide on a user name - if someone has already chosen that name the page will display
a warning. Fill in the remaining details as accurately as possible and click create
user. You will then receive a registration email detailing the next steps to take.
Please note that registration acknowledges your agreement with the interactive map
terms and conditions.
To sign in, select the ‘Sign in’ link at the top of the screen. The interactive
map will then ask which role you wish to log in to. This may just be the stakeholder
group you selected when you signed up, if you want to add a new role, just select
it from the list.
If I fall into two or more
stakeholder groups (e.g. sea angling and sailing), can I sign in using one account
or do I have to register multiple times?
You only have to register one account. When you log in, the interactive map will
ask you which role you want to add data too. You can add yourself to any of the
other roles at this time.
I use parts of the sea that
fall into more than one project area (e.g. the Finding Sanctuary and Balanced Seas
areas), can I use the same account to record my information?
Yes, you can use one account to show what parts of the sea you use across all of
the project regions.
Why does the interactive
map run slowly on my computer?
The interactive map works better on some internet browsers than others. If you are
using a PC, Mozilla Firefox or Google
Chrome are both excellent choices. Internet Explorer versions 7 and 8 are supported, but
don’t perform well in applications like the interactive map. On the Mac, Safari and Firefox are good choices (all links will open in a new
window).
How do I choose the level
of importance for a site, all of the places I use are important to me?
When you add a site to the map, part of the information you can attach to it is
an importance level. This can be one of three levels: important, less or more. We
consider all sites that you add to the interactive map important, but it is valuable
for us to gain some insight as to how your sites compare to each other. So, if you
have a site that you think is slightly less or more important than your average
site, select the appropriate tag.
What do I do if the name
of a wreck I visit isn’t on your list, I'm not sure exactly where it is on the map,
but I have the GPS coordinates?
When you move the mouse cursor around the map, the position (in decimal degrees)
is displayed on the bottom left of the map window. This should allow you to locate
your position with enough accuracy to add your information.
Why are there two sets
of legal boundaries and why don't they match?
The OpenStreetMap background mapping used by the interactive map has some legal
boundaries built in (pale purple lines). These have some small discrepancies compared
to the official boundary and shouldn't be used to locate yourself. We are trying
to get the OpenStreetMap boundaries amended as soon as possible.
Can I use the Interactive Map to enter information in Welsh inshore waters
At the moment the tool has been developed for the purposes of the four regional MCZ projects covering the territorial waters of England and the offshore waters of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and does not include Welsh territorial waters that are covered by the MCZ Project Wales.
Welsh Assembly Government have information on the MCZ Project Wales available from their website.
Help
Many people will find it useful to read the help document for the webGIS. It can
be accessed as a webpage,
here, or a document that can be downloaded and printed out, here.
Should you wish to begin using the webGIS right away, context specific help can
be accessed via the
that you will find throughout the site.
Click on on one of the links below to jump to the relevant section of the help.
Basics
Main information
Using the map interface
Using the view tab
Adding your own information to the map