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The UK government must do more to manage protected areas in its seas to ensure they are not just 鈥減aper parks鈥�, members of the parliament have said.

Despite a Tory party 2015 manifesto pledge to complete a network of marine conservation zones to protect coastal and underwater habitats, only 50 of 127 originally recommended sites around England have been designated.

A report from the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee hit out at 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� delays in creating the network, and said it should be put in place as soon as possible and be 鈥渃onsiderably larger and more ambitious鈥�.

The government had 鈥渕oved the goalposts鈥� by setting unreasonably high standards of evidence for designating new protected areas, the MPs said, and once sites are designated they must be properly protected, with strong monitoring and management, without which they are just 鈥渓ines on a map鈥�.

The government should consider investing in aerial and marine drones to deter illegal activities such as destructive fishing, the report said.

The MPs also criticised the government鈥檚 decision not to create any highly protected marine conservation zones 鈥� so-called reference areas where all destructive and damaging practices are banned 鈥� in the third tranche of areas.

Overseas protection

They pointed to ambitious Foreign and Commonwealth Office moves to designate marine protected areas in UK overseas territories and warned that 鈥淏ritish seabirds off the Chagos Islands are better protected than they would be flying off Cornwall鈥�.

The government must also take action to ensure sites in overseas territories are effectively resourced and managed, the report added.

鈥淚t is worrying and disappointing the government have still not got their act together on assigning the vulnerable marine protected areas,鈥� says Mary Creagh MP and chairwoman of the Environmental Audit Committee.

鈥淭he government needs to focus on monitoring and protecting the current areas rather than moving the goalposts to create unachievable and over-complicated demands on the management of susceptible areas,鈥� she says. 鈥淲ithout effective management, surveillance or monitoring, our marine protected areas are just paper parks.鈥�

鈥淭he government needs to put firm plans in place to stop further degradation of our vulnerable ecological systems, before they are destroyed forever,鈥� says Creagh.

Joan Edwards, from The Wildlife Trusts, says there is no reason why the government could not designate the rest of the recommended marine conservation zones right now and fulfil their 2015 manifesto commitment to achieving a 鈥榖lue belt鈥� of protected marine habitats around the UK.

鈥淏ut we don鈥檛 just want 鈥榩aper parks鈥�,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hese special places at sea must be managed and the most damaging activities must be banned straight away.鈥�