ALDE ORE AND BUTLEY ESTUARIES - Marine protected area (OSPAR )

• WDPA ID : 555556914
• WDPA PID : 555556914
• Name of MPA: ALDE ORE AND BUTLEY ESTUARIES
  Close windowOfficial name of the marine protected area
• Original name of MPA: Alde Ore and Butley Estuaries
  Close windowFor European countries, the name and the original name are often the same. However, the original name displays accents for names in Spanish, Portuguese and French.
• Country: United Kingdom
• Designation in national language: Marine protected area (OSPAR )
  Close windowCategory of protected area officially established and nationally recognized as such.
• Designation in English: Marine protected area (OSPAR )
• Designation type: international
  Close windowA designation may be either 'national' or 'international'.
  A designation is ‘National' when it has legal value at national level and applies to sitesin the national territory.
  A designation is 'International' when referring to a protected area recognizedunder an international convention or treaty (MAB/OSPAR/RAMSAR/N2000/World Heritage/ etc.).
  For sites designated by a text concerning more than one country, their designation type will be 'International'.
  The designation type is 'International‘ even if the text covering several countries has been transposed into national legislation, i.e. sites designated under the 'Habitats' or Natura 2000 'Birds' directives.
• IUCN Category: Not applicable
  Close windowThe IUCN has agreed upon a definition of what is/is not a protected area. It then identified six different categories of protected areas based on the management objectives.Protected areas exist in incredibly diverse forms (sizes, locations, approaches and management objectives[Dudley, N. (Editor) (2008). Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. x + 86pp].
  In some countries, the IUCN committees have drawn up a table to match IUCN categories to national designations.When this correspondence has not been done, the information shall not be reported here.
• Reported marine area: 11,08 km²
  Close windowMarine surface are (km²) declared by the contracting party
• Calculated marine area: 0,04 km²
  Close windowMarine surface area (km²) calculated with a similar projection for every OSPAR MPA
• Status: Designated
  Close windowA marine protected area may have various levels of progress. This is indicated by its 'status' which may be:
  - proposed: the project to establish the marine protected area is in progress,
  - designated: the marine protected area is officially designated and recognized by law,
  - listed: this specific status is used only for sites listed (designated) as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
• Status year: 2005
  Close windowDate of proposal, designation (or listing) of the marine protected area.
• OSPAR region: Greater North Sea
• Management authority name: Natural England
  Close windowName of the organisation responsible for management of the protected area
• Management authority web site:


• OSPAR conservation objectives/aims:
  Close windowA marine protected area is designated according to a number of OSPAR conservation objectives which it must subsequently meet.
  • Protect, conserve and restore species, habitats and ecological processes which have been adversely affected by human activities
  • Prevent degradation of, and damage to, species, habitats and ecological processes, following the precautionary principle
  • Protect and conserve areas that best represent the range of species, habitats and ecological processes in the maritime area
• Site conservation objectives/aims:
  Close windowA marine protected area is designated according to a number of official objectives which it must subsequently meet.
  The word 'objective' refers here to the aim or status sought.
  • To maintain, conserve or restore biodiversity, natural heritage, habitats, species or landscapes with legal protection status
• Additional conservation objectives/aims:
  Close windowAbove and beyond the official objectives defined for a designation category and text, a MPA often pursues many other objectives.
  These objectives are generally specific to the local issues of the MPA.
  • Data not reported

Warning : Non-exhaustive list of species and habitats with statuses, provided by the manager.

• Inventory of marine species present with protection status Data not reported

• Inventory of marine habitats present with protection status
  • Present habitats (and which justified the designation )

    Espèces sous statut

    Habitats listed in Annex I to the 'Habitats' directive

    1330: Atlantic salt meadows (Glauco-Puccinellietalia maritimae) ( )

    1130: Estuaries ( )

    1140: Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide ( )

    EUNIS habitats

    A2.1 Littoral coarse sediment

    A2.2 Littoral sand and muddy sand

    A2.3 Littoral mud

    A2.4 Littoral mixed sediments

    A5.3 Sublittoral mud

    A5.4 Sublittoral mixed sediments

• Human activities currently known to be occurring within the site:
  Close windowData are provided on the basis of best available knowledge at the time. If no information exists for a particular activity, this last isn't referenced.

• Governing body:Data not reported
  Close window'Governing body' means: a group of stakeholders responsible for making management proposals or giving opinions about the site and whose existence and members are formally defined in official instruments (instruments relating to the site category or establishing the site).
• Structure(s) responsible for implementing management measures, the management plan and taking regulatory decisions and measures
• National public authority: Data not reported
• Regional or local public authority: Data not reported
• International body : Data not reported

• Number of permanent staff: Data not reported
• Number of seasonal staff: Data not reported
• Annual full-time equivalents: Data not reported
  Close windowNot all the staff of a marine protected area work 100% of the time (full time) for the area.This information gives very precise insight into the 'employee time' allocated to the operation of a marine protected area.
• Number of MPA staff empowered to enforce the MPA regulations: Data not reported
• Equipment and facilities available
  • Data not reported
• Average total annual budget over the last 5 years: Data not reported euros
• Average annual operating budget over the last 5 years: Data not reported euros
• Average annual equipment budget over the last 5 years: Data not reported euros
• Average annual external support budget over the last 5 years: Data not reported euros
• Funding sources:
  • Data not reported

• Is the MPA management documented? Yes
• Comments : Conservation objectives & advice on operations (first published 2001, updated 2016). The SIP lists threats, pressures and actions. There is an EMS management plan (2015) and MMO strategic management table. Spatial information on magic mapping tool.
• Are the measures to achieve the conservation objectives being implemented? Partial
• Comments : Licensable activities are subject to HRA which considers the likelihood of causing a threat or pressure and ensures mitigation where required. For non-licensable activities, not all identified actions have yet been implemented but are in progress.
• Is monitoring in place to assess if measures are working? Partial
• Comments : Some condition monitoring of protected features is being implemented or in the process of being implemented. Compliance monitoring of conditions for licensable activities and management measures in place where applicable by responsible authorities.
• Is the MPA moving towards or has reached its conservation objectives? Unknown
• Comments : Previous condition information was based on best available evidence, but due to limitations in both the information and methodology it was considered unreliable. The condition assessment methodology is currently being revised to make it more robust.
• Number of management plan versions since the official designation of the MPA:
  Close windowNumber of management plan versions since the official designation of the MPA:

• National legal status:
  • None
• International legal status:
  • Habitats Directive - WDPA ID = 555535966 - N2000 ID = UK0030076
• Type of enforcement within the MPA:
  Close windowType of enforcement within the MPA:
  • Data not reported
• Human uses and activities in the MPA subject to regulations: None
  Close windowList of activities specifically governed by a charter, or regulated or prohibited by the MPA within the perimeter.
  Charters, regulations or prohibitions to be enforced throughout the year are considered'permanent', as opposed to so-called 'periodical' charters, regulations or prohibitions, to be enforced on a seasonal, nocturnal or diurnal basis, or only enforced for a few months in the year, etc.

• Type of monitoring programs implemented:
  • Data not reported

• Ecological significance:
  • Data not available
• Level of importance of the biological diversity: Medium
• Level of representativity: High
• Level of sensitivity: High
• Level of naturalness: Medium
• Potential for restoration: Medium
• Degree of MPA acceptance by stakeholders: Medium
• Potential for success of management measures: High
• Potential future damage to the area by human activities: Low / not significant
• Scientific value Medium