New marine conservation zones are being introduced around the Kent shoreline today to protect ocean habitats and wildlife species.

Goodwin Sands - a 10-mile sandbank lying just off the Deal coast - and the Kentish Knock in the Thames Estuary are among the county's coastal areas that are becoming conservation areas.

They form part of 41 new zones around the UK, covering 12,000km sq - an area almost eight times the size of Greater London.

Swanscombe, between Gravesend and Dartford, has also made the list.

The introduction of the new marine conservation zones marks the most significant expansion of England's "blue belt" to date - with a total of 126 zones now stretching from Cornwall to Northumberland.

The rare stalked jellyfish, short-snouted seahorse and blue mussel beds are among the species and habitats that will benefit from the protections.

Marine conservation zones are just one type of many marine protected areas in place around the UK to conserve rare, threatened and nationally important habitats and species for future generations.

The UK now has 355 marine protected areas of different types, spanning 220,000 square km - almost twice the size of England.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: “The UK is already leading the rest of the world by protecting over 30% of our ocean - but we know there is more to do.

“Establishing this latest round of marine conservation zones in this Year of Green Action is another big step in the right direction, extending our blue belt to safeguard precious and diverse sea life for future generations to come.”

The latest round of protections follow an extensive consultation, including with local fishermen and marine conservation experts, which received overwhelming support for the proposals.

More than 48,000 responses were submitted by members of the public, with Defra designating all 41 of the proposed sites and expanding protections at 12 existing sites.

Each designation is based on scientific evidence provided by marine experts from Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, as well as socio-economic information provided by stakeholders and Defra economists.

Management plans will now be put in place to protect the newly-designated habitats and species.

Regulators - such as the Marine Management Organisation and local Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities - will work with fishing communities and other organisations to ensure the conservation zones are properly managed.

Joan Edwards, director of living seas at The Wildlife Trusts, said: "We’ve been calling for the government to give real protection to a network of diverse sea-bed landscapes since 2009 and over 22,000 people joined our call for better protection of our seas during last summer’s consultation.

“Huge thanks to everyone who has supported this change. Now we need to see good management of these special places to stop damaging activities such as beam-trawling or dredging for scallops and langoustines which harm fragile marine wildlife.”

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

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