Policy in Lundy Marine Nature Reserve Yields Positive Results - Article Example

It is administered by the Torridge district of the county of Devon. It has a total area of 4.24 km2 and has a resident population of 18 people located at the south of the island. The island was leased by the National Trust to the Landmark Trust. It was named as the 10th greatest natural wonder in Britain by the 2005 opinion poll of Radio Times (wikipedia, 2006). Due to the development of the aqualung, Lundy's incredibly diverse marine plants and animals were discovered. The array includes rare and unusual species such as the solitary cup corals, sea fans and sponges.

An explanation offered for the diversity is the variety of underwater habitats in its seabed. The variety in shelter coupled with the also varied water current conditions present in the area gave opportunities for a wider variety of species that can inhabit the waters of the island. (Lundy Org, 2006) This discovery served as the stimulant for legislation aimed at protecting the area. It started with a 1971 proposal by the Lundy Field Society to establish a marine reserve and finalized with the 1986 announcement of the then Secretary of State for the Environment designating Lundy as a statutory reserve.

Lundy is England's only statutory Marine Nature Reserve. The reserve is managed in partnership by English Nature, the Environment Agency, Devon Sea Fisheries Committee (DSFC), the National Trust and . A warden is employed by the Landmark Trust for the oversight of the reserve. (ENO, 2004)Policies The Marine Nature Reserve employs a zoning scheme and is illustrated below (Lundy Org, 2006): Zones within the Marine Nature Reserve: The Red Area is the No-Take ZoneThe Yellow Area is the Refuge Zone: no fishing except potting or angling.

The Green Area is the Recreational Zone: restrictions the same for the Refuge Zone (yellow) but be aware of other water usersThe Black Circles indicate legally Protected Wrecks : no diving or fishing without a license from English Heritage is allowedThe Blue Area covers the rest of the Marine Nature Reserve and is the General Use Zone: all activities allowed except spear fishing.A prominent feature of the zoning scheme is the NO TAKE ZONE (NTZ). This zone employs the policy of prohibiting fishing and even collection of any kind of sea life in the waters east of Lundy.

The implementation of this policy is ensured by the DSFC as it is incorporated in their by-law.The NTZ has coordinates north to Lat 51 12.04N, south to Lat 51 10.07N and east from Lundy's shores to Long 004 39.00W. Anchors and diver shot lines within 100m of the Knoll Pins is also prohibited in this zone.The No Take Zone was predicted to be able to enhance populations of fish and shellfish stocks within and outside the closed area by establishing a refuge for fish and shellfish stocks. Greater catches of fish for fishermen around the edges of the closed area was also seen as probable.

The island's tourism industry was also seen as a direct beneficiary of the project.The reserve employs the following system (Lundy Org, 2006): Since underwater wildlife