Natural England

07 October 2008

From today, users of Google Earth can see the splendour and beauty of England’s undersea landscapes thanks to a new layer available from Google Earth Outreach. This layer has compelling video streams, photo galleries and stories, showcasing the network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) around the world including a fascinating insight into life below English seas courtesy of Natural England.

For this unique enterprise, Natural England has provided information about 43 marine sites situated around the coast of England that offer limited protection to rare and threatened species and habitats such as the world’s second largest fish, the basking shark; nine species of coral; two species of seahorse and over 800 species of algae.

Lundy Island, off the North Devon coast, is one of these marine sites that can be visited ‘virtually’. It is England’s only statutory Marine Nature Reserve and all fishing activities have been prohibited across its 3.3 square kilometres, known as a ‘no take zone’.  This protection has given this spectacular undersea region the chance to recover and thrive.

Dr Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, said: “There needs to be a sea change in attitudes towards protecting our oceans. The diversity of marine wildlife around England’s coastline is exceptional; we have everything from whales through to microscopic phytoplankton. But we need an enhanced marine protection system to help conserve our undersea environment.

“Now, through this new MPA layer in Google Earth, a network of Marine Protected Areas will be available to millions of desktops for the first time, bringing the marine environment to life and raising awareness of the need to conserve and enhance it.”

To see these enthralling sites for yourself, all you need to do is visit Google Earth Outreach, download the MPA layer and then click on an MPA icon; then choose one of three options:

• Video links: watch inspiring footage of lobsters, other marine life and undersea landscapes
• Photo gallery: see the beauty of sunset cup corals, pink sea fans and red sea fingers
• Stories: read about ‘No Take Zones’, the importance of MPAs and other articles

Also being launched on 7 October 2008 is IUCN’s new global web portal – Protect Planet Ocean – which is found at www.protectplanetocean.org as well as being accessible through the MPA layer in Google Earth and Natural England’s web site.  Protect Planet Ocean provides further information about MPAs, marine conservation and the urgent need to strengthen protection for the marine environment, and it will be the platform for launching the global Plan of Action to accelerate the process for establishing MPAs.

Professor Dan Laffoley of Natural England has led on the creation of Protect Planet Ocean. He said: “Oceans cover over 70% of our planet, providing critical goods and services from food to transport, and yet less than 1% of our oceans are under any kind of protection. Countries around the world have committed to establishing networks of Marine Protected Areas by 2012, yet at the current pace that goal will not be reached until 2060.  Scientific research show that marine reserves work. We can now put critical issues facing the seas around England in front of hundreds of millions of people.”

The MPA layer in Google Earth and Protect Planet Ocean portal will be launched on 7 October at The World Conservation Congress 2008 (WCC), which runs from 5 – 9 October 2008. This event, organised by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is the world’s largest environmental gathering and is held every four years.

MPA layer for Google Earth: Earth Outreach KML: Marine Protected Areas