Bryony Pearce, Daniel Brutto and Dr Jackie Hill of MES recently attended the Sea Change conference hosted by Natural England at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel. This conference was held in order to stimulate debate and discussion about the aims, aspirations and successful implementation of the planned Marine Protected Area network which will be established across UK waters by 2012.  MES was keen to attend this conference in order to provide input into the designation process and the design of the network. Furthermore, MES is keen to remain in touch with all developments as the marine world begins its rapid evolution following the successful passage of the Marine and Coastal  Act through parliament in November so that we are able to continue to offer the highest quality services and advice to our valued client base.

MES's attendance at the Sea Change conference follows our recent attendance of the first Balanced Seas stakeholder meeting which was held in Chelmsford on the 25th November. This meeting allowed the Balanced Seas team to broadly present the MPA project and was the first opportunity for regional stakeholders to engage in the MPA selection process. The meeting was well attended and the discussions on the project were thought provoking and interesting and MES is keen to follow the project as it develops.