17/8/2001

An action plan is published next week (Monday 20 August 2001) to care for the rich marine wildlife of the Pen Llyn a'r Sarnau candidate Special Area of Conservation, which is of European importance.

The Action Plan has been put together by statutory organisations with responsibilities for the marine environment. Local people, coastal landowners, tourism companies, fishermen and others have contributed to the action plan.

In public meetings over the last two years, they said what they valued about the area's sea life and highlighted the main threats to it. Based on this feedback, and the input of members of a Liaison Group who represent the tourism, commercial and recreational interests in the site, the action plan tackles what can be done to conserve and enhance Pen Llyn and north Cardigan Bay's marine heritage.

Lucy Kay, the Countryside Council for Wales’ marine conservation expert for north west Wales said: "The Pen Llyn a'r Sarnau candidate Special Area of Conservation is a great opportunity for people to work together. The European status of the site will protect wildlife, but it will not create a no-go area. Protecting the wildlife and natural environment of this special area should help promote it as a beautiful and unspoilt place for people to visit and, of course, live."

Barry Davies, Maritime Officer for Gwynedd Council noted: "The sea and coast around Pen Llyn and north Cardigan Bay is an important and popular area for a variety of maritime activities which, together with the natural beauty of the locality, attract many visitors each year.

“There are millions who visit the Welsh coast each year, contributing some 600 million pounds to the local economy. The challenge of managing the Special Area of Conservation is to achieve a balance that ensures protection of the natural environment as well as enabling sustainable use of the sea and coast."

The plan lists over 100 actions, such as:

* Continuing to monitor coastal water quality and take action to meet national standards;

* Ensuring that oil spill and other emergency contingency plans meet the needs of the site;

* Encouraging people who go boating or do other watersports to report the wildlife they see and take part in biological surveys;

* Publishing popular information about the area and its wildlife - especially for young people;

* Promoting voluntary codes of conduct for activities including angling, boating, scientific studies, shellfisheries;

* Ensuring the area's special qualities is taken into account in managing and developing harbours and marinas in the area.
Pen Llyn a'r Sarnau is of European importance for the variety of marine plants and animals which live on the reefs off the coast of Pen Llyn, Meirionnydd and north Ceredigion, and in the Glaslyn/Dwyryd, Mawddach and Dyfi estuaries.
Some of the wonders of this underwater world are:

* current-swept rocks carpeted in animals such as sea anemones, sea firs, soft corals and large sponges;

* dense kelp forests growing in shallow waters, providing a home for many varied creatures;

* the yellow trumpet anemone, which generally lives in the warmer water of the Mediterranean and south west Britain,

* but also lives around Ynys Enlli - at the northern edge of its range;

* many red and brown seaweeds growing as thick turf on the unique Sarnau reefs;

* the estuaries - important nursery areas for many fish species, including bass and grey mullet

Source:	Countryside Council for Wales
	Web Link