Skomer Marine Conservation Zone facts for kids
The Skomer Marine Conservation Zone is a special underwater area off the coast of Pembrokeshire in Wales. It's like a protected park, but for the ocean! This zone completely surrounds the islands of Skomer and Middleholm. It also includes the nearby mainland coast of the Marloes peninsula, even a small bay called Martin's Haven. This area is protected to keep its amazing sea life safe.
The ocean floor and rocky areas around Skomer are full of living things. You can find common eelgrass, which is a rare plant that actually flowers underwater. It grows in sandy areas and looks like long, green grass. These "underwater lawns" are important homes and food sources for many other plants and animals. Lots of lobsters, crabs, and other crustaceans live here. Also, grey seals come to the coast in October and November to have their babies.
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Protecting Skomer's Ocean Life
This special area helps keep the ocean healthy and safe for all the creatures that live there. It's important to protect places like this so future generations can enjoy them too.
How Skomer Became a Protected Zone
The island of Skomer has been a protected place for a long time. However, the underwater part, known as a Marine Nature Reserve, was created later in 1990. It was one of only three such reserves in the entire United Kingdom at that time.
Changes to Marine Protection
In 2013, the UK started creating more protected ocean areas called Marine Conservation Zones. This made a bigger network of safe places for sea life. Because of these changes, Skomer's underwater area was officially reclassified as a Marine Conservation Zone in December 2014.
Other Protected Areas Nearby
In 2004, an even larger protected area was created nearby. It's called the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC. This SAC is much bigger than the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone, covering about 132,174 hectares of ocean.
