In general, the requirements for managing Zostera biotopes in the UK can be summarized as follows:

• Ensuring that the environmental and ecological requirements of the Zostera species are met so that the favourable conservation status of the biotopes are maintained or enhanced.
• Reviewing and managing human activities appropriately within SACs in order to ensure that current activities are compatible with the maintenance of the Zostera biotopes.
• Reviewing and assessing proposals for new activities, or changes to current activities, in order to ensure that detrimental impacts can be avoided.

A site manager responsible for the conservation of Zostera biotopes within an SAC will need to consider consider the following perspectives when attempting to develop a feasible management plan:

The management of plant biotopes in marine SACs contrasts sharply with management in terrestrial SACs in that direct action, such as planting, cutting, clearing, grazing control and ex situ propagation, cannot be easily employed. In addition, in the marine environment, actions are less likely to be so directly focused on individual species. Instead, they are more likely to concentrate on attempting to maintain or restore the ambient environment. With respect to Zostera, this is likely to include attempting to control sediment movement and deposition, reducing levels of pollution, and minimizing disturbance by physically damaging activities such as bait digging. However, despite these problems, Zostera biotopes are unique amongst marine plant biotopes in that ex situ activities such as seed banks, propagation and transplants can potentially contribute significantly to management initiatives (discussed further below).

One of the greatest challenges facing any site manager will be to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic change. Hiscock (1984) stated that the management of marine species and communities requires an understanding, not only of the designated site, but also of the dynamics of the communities and the ecology and life history of the species present. Without information on a species’ longevity, potential for recruitment, vulnerability to environmental change and to the impacts of human activities, combined with a good knowledge of natural fluctuations, management objectives cannot be easily defined or justified, and their achievements cannot be assessed. To obtain this kind of information, surveillance and monitoring work on a variety of levels is required (Fowler and Pilley, 1992).

From the preceding chapters of this report, it should be apparent that large-scale, natural stochastic events can occur in eelgrass beds. For example, storms can remove large areas of Zostera .Such events are inherently unpredictable and are clearly beyond the control of any management scheme. In contrast, when considering potential anthropogenic agents of change, the nature of the marine environment is such that coastal developments, often remote from the SAC, may have long-term, slow acting, but significant impacts on the Zostera biotopes within the SAC. The site manager must carefully consider all possible short- and long-term human impacts and identify those for which mitigation measures are possible.

Site managers will be aware that there is a requirement under Regulation 48 to review all new plans and projects, which may affect the conservation features of an SAC. The likely impacts of these plans and projects should be assessed against the activities that are known to have detrimental effects upon Zostera biotopes ,and against the conservation objectives for the SAC.

With respect to plans and projects that relate to coastal development, particular care should be taken to consider their possible impacts on the processes which may affect Zostera biotopes (eg. sediment deposition or erosion). Other plans and projects may include discharge consents and consents under other legislation, such as the Food and Environmental Protection Act and the Control of Pollution Act. Applications for new discharges, which may affect the water quality and clarity in the vicinity of the Zostera biotope, also need to be considered with respect to the conservation objectives of the SAC. Where eutrophication occurs, high nutrient levels could be controlled through the designation of ‘Nitrate Vulnerable Zones’, as defined in the EC Nitrates Directive. Similarly, new fisheries or significant changes to existing fisheries should be subject to review and assessment, regarding likely impacts on the features of the SAC.

Changes in the pattern of some human activities are largely outside planning control, including many recreational activities such as yacht anchoring, bait digging and horse riding on the shore, which may all affect Zostera beds within SACs. The approach to the management of such activities should be tempered with the knowledge that in many cases, suitable compromises can be reached through information, education and communication, rather than by applying unwieldy statutory routes.

These examples illustrate that any new coastal developments or activities within an SAC must be considered against the conservation objectives of the SAC. These are new responsibilities for the relevant authorities and Statutory Conservation Agencies, and are likely to require careful negotiation and good working relationships between all the parties within the SAC Management Group. The site manager will have a crucial role in facilitating the consideration and assessment of new plans and projects.

In the management of marine SACs, public information and education must be given priority and a proactive policy of communication should be implemented, to keep the relevant authorities and local people informed and aware of the importance and practical implications of the local management scheme. Positive steps should be taken to raise awareness of critical issues and damaging activities so that these can be resolved or avoided. For example, the Salcombe-Kingsbridge Estuary Environmental Management Plan has produced a Code of Conduct leaflet on sand eel collection to discourage collection over the local Zostera beds.

At many of the marine SACs where Zostera occurs, a variety of other management initiatives may already exist which recognise Zostera as an important conservation feature. The challenge for the future of the marine SACs is to work in co-operation with all the interested parties to develop successful management schemes for each marine SAC, integrating and co-ordinating the management of the site so that the protection of the conservation features of the site is ensured.

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