Marine protection plan unveiled

Public consultation has begun on proposals to extend protection for marine life around Britain.

Seven areas, totaling 10,000sq km (4,000sq miles) of sea, have been earmarked as sites for the UK's first offshore Special Areas of Conservation. They include habitats of important sea life, such as sandbanks, sand volcanoes and cold-water coral reefs, found in the seas surrounding the UK. Currently, only coastal and inshore areas are protected. The government says areas rich in wildlife further out to sea face a different kind of threat. Jonathan Shaw, the minister for marine, landscape and rural affairs, said: "The UK has one of the richest marine environments in the world.
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