THE planned re-opening and massive expansion in production at a quarry, on the Lizard Peninsula, poses a severe threat to one of Britain’s Crown Jewels, the newly created Manacles Marine Conservation Zone.

The Manacles Zone, created only 16 months ago, is home to a number of internationally listed rare species vital to the preservation of biodiversity. Seriously at risk are jewel anemones, maerl beds, sea-fan anemones, spiny lobster and stalked jellyfish. Visiting dolphins, porpoises and migrating basking sharks are an important tourist attraction, supporting the economic security of the local community.

Maerl, a term for several species of red seaweed with hard, chalky skeletons, is a vitally important habitat for many different types of marine life and provides nursery grounds for commercial species of fish and shellfish. Due to its fragility and a growth rate of 1mm a year, maerl is easily damaged by sediment and pollution. Once killed it cannot regenerate.  Imagine an intricate, jewel-encrusted Faberge egg: once destroyed, never to be replaced.

The “pillagers” in this story take the form of the companies set up (by Venture Capitalist, Mr Mark Shorrock) to acquire Dean Quarry rock for Tidal Lagoons and the government bodies who may give him permission to do so, in spite of less damaging alternatives being available. The proposal involves the building of jetties, a breakwater, the movement of barges and tugs, vibration and inevitable run-off from the blasting processes and movement of the rock. All this will be within the boundaries of the MCZ.

The developers state that the new structures will provide marine habitat to compensate for that lost.  Rather like recreating that precious Faberge egg with sticky-backed plastic and glass gems.

Community Against Dean Super Quarry,
cads2015@hotmail.com