This shapefile contains information on all UK OSPAR MPAs that have been nominated to the OSPAR Commission. OSPAR MPAs in the UK form all or part of an existing UK marine protected area, up to mean high water (or mean high water springs in Scotland). Projection: WGS84.
The attribute table demonstrates the relationship between an MPA's OSPAR status and its underpinning or 'equivalent' UK designation; data on the OSPAR status of MPAs is provided in fields WDPAID to STATUS_YR, and data on the underlying UK MPA designation is shown in fields EQUIV_SITEto UKSITECODE.
WPDAID - Site-specific code assiged to OSPARMPAs. Not the same as the WDPAID code used by the UK.
SITE_NAME - Name of the siteas submitted to OSPAR.
COUNTRY - Details which UK countrywaters the MPA lies in, and whether it is an inshore, offshore or joint site.
DESIGNATIO - designation type(i.e. OSPAR MPA)
AREA_KM2 - Area in Kilometers squared.
STATUS_YR - Year in which the site was nominated to OSPAR.
EQUIV_SITE - Includes both the site name and the UK designation typeof the site underlying the nominated OSPAR MPA.
UK_DESIG - Type of UK MPA, i.e. Special Areasof Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas(SPA) , Marine Conservation Zones(MCZs) or Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPA). SACs may be refered to ascandidate SAC (cSAC), once the UK submits the site to the European Commission; Site of Community Importance (SCI or cSAC/SCI), once the European Commission approves the site (although remaining a cSAC at UK level); and finally a full SAC once the UK Government designates the site.
UKSITECODE - Site-specific code assigned by the UK to identify the MPA.
Please note the shapefile contains several overlapping OSPAR MPA polygons. This is because SAC, SPAand MCZ/NCMPAboundaries can overlap each other (although different features are protected within the overlapping areas).
This shapefile is supported by an Excel spreadsheet available at: http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-4661
