Nature reserves designed to provide safe havens for marine wildlife are to be created as part of legislation announced yesterday.

The announcement of a marine Bill, a Labour manifesto pledge, with powers to create protected zones within Britain’s 200-mile limit marks the final phase of a conservation campaign that has lasted more than 15 years.

At least 100 different types of marine habitat are under consideration for protection as marine conservation zones and a high proportion of the 8,000 species off our shores are expected to benefit. Only three marine nature reserves have been created since the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, and the Bill is intended to speed their introduction dramatically, with a network of scores of protected zones by 2012.

Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, described the announcement as a “significant day for our seas and the wonders that lie beneath them”.

“This new system of protection and management of our seas will help to halt the decline in biodiversity and to create clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas,” he said.

Devolved powers have already been agreed for the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies but it is expected that they will work with the Joint Ministerial Committee to ensure that legislation is created nationally. In Scotland, a marine Bill is expected to be introduced early next year.

It was unclear last night when the Bill would be introduced for England, but earlier this year Jonathan Shaw, then the Fisheries Minister, promised that it would receive Royal Assent by the middle of next summer.

Planning rules for marine developments, whether huge wind farms or new harbour walls, will be streamlined under the Marine and Coastal Access Bill to create a single licensing authority – the Marine Management Organisation.

The Government’s cherished plan for widening public access to the coastline by securing a long-distance path along the entire coast of England will be included within the Bill. Safeguards to landowner rights remain a contentious issue.

Marine conservationists have been fighting for the Bill since the early 1990s when they realised that the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act was inadequate for protecting life in the seas.

Under the forthcoming legislation the conservation zones will have different levels of protection depending on the needs of individual species and habitat types.

The strongest type of protection will ban any form of commercial activity within a zone, similar to the no-take zones that ban fishing around Lundy in the South West and Lamlash Bay in the Isle of Arran.

Only 0.0008 per cent of Britain’s seas – about three square miles – are covered by no-take zones, compared with the 30 per cent that the Marine Conservation Society believes is necessary to allow wildlife to recover at least partially from the steep declines of the last century. Under the European Habitat’s Directive, 80 marine sites have already received protection but it applies to a handful of species and habitat types and has been criticised for being limited and often unenforced. Among the habitat types most in need of protection are sub-tidal sea grass beds – which have declined dramatically since the 1930s – and maerl reefs, formed of hard algal growths.

The announcement of the Bill was greeted with relief and delight among environmental groups. Natasha Barker, at WWF-UK said: “We finally have an opportunity to reverse the decline in our seas.”

Mark Avery, the RSPB conservation director, said: “The UK’s seas are internationally important for marine wildlife, including seabirds, whales, fish and corals. Despite this importance, the conservation movement has been waiting for decades for adequate protection. This has been a manifesto commitment for several years and we trust that the legislation will not be watered down before it reaches Royal Assent.”

However, at Seafish, the seafood industry body, Philip MacMullen said conservation zones were only part of the solution to improving marine stocks. He maintained that “the current, more responsible attitude to the management of seafood stocks on the part of the industry” would be a factor.

Sir Martin Doughty, the chairman of Natural England, welcomed the coastal access proposals: “There are enormous social, health and environmental benefits in enabling the public to access more of England’s coastline.

“The Bill presents a real opportunity to take a historic step in the way people enjoy England’s wonderful countryside and coastline.”

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