The MCS wildlife conservation program

The world’s oceans are losing their biodiversity at an accelerating rate. In our UK seas, familiar species such as the common skate, angel shark and sturgeon are now critically endangered.

Overfishing is often to blame, but for animals such as marine turtles that depend on land and sea, a range of human activities now threaten their habitats at home and abroad. For example, coral reefs are often referred to as the rainforests of the sea, and are home to about a quarter of all known marine creatures, including green and hawksbill turtles. Sadly, one fifth of the world’s reefs have already been destroyed and half are seriously threatened.

Marine Conservation Society

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The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK’s national charity dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its wildlife. The MCS works to highlight threats to both marine wildlife and to the wider marine and coastal environment on which so many livelihoods depend. (Marine Conservation)

In order to protect our marine environment for this and future generations MCS takes action to:

Increase awareness about marine life and the role of the marine environment in our lives through education and active involvement in conservation projects (have you seen).
Protect important marine species and habitats
Achieve ecologically sustainable management of fisheries
Promote environmentally sensitive use of non-living marine resources
Implement on integrated approach to the management of the coastal zone
Eliminate pollution (marine litter) of the marine and coastal environment, from both land-based and offshore sources.

Through education, volunteer participation and high profile campaigns, MCS brings marine conservation issues to the attention of the public, media, industry and Government alike. MCS promotes solutions to the many threats that face our seas by informing, involving and influencing those that have a responsibility for the marine environment. MCS informs, through the production of educational resources for all sectors from primary school to working professionals. MCS involves individuals and communities in volunteer projects from marine life surveys to beach cleans and litter surveys. The MCS aims to influences decision makers at the highest level through reasoned argument based on sound factual evidence and scientific principles.

The MCS supports the concept of sustainable management of fish stocks whilst recognising the impacts of fishing on the marine ecosystem and the impacts of other activities on fisheries.

www.mcsuk.org

Our many successes and campaigns to date include the introduction of Marine Acts to better protect our seas and marine life, and influencing sustainable seafood choices by major retailers and consumers through the Good Fish Guide.

We have also brought together thousands of volunteers in Beachwatch to clean our beaches of litter, and campaigned for Marine Reserves Now! to create safe havens for wildlife and fish populations to recover.

We are campaigning for marine protected areas in the UK, studying the amazing wildlife in our seas, and working on frontlineconservation projects involving local people in the stewardship of their marine resources, both in the UK and abroad, with our coral reef projects.

There is only one ocean; a worldwide continuous mass of water so big, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that one small act by one individual can make a huge difference to its recovery. We can all do our bit to help the sea fight back.

How can you help?