Our work with Devon Wildlife Trust changes the law and protects a rare part of our coastline.

In November 2007 Devon Wildlife Trust came to markettiers4dc in order to boost their campaign to protect as much as possible of the world renowned reefs in Lyme Bay off the Dorset and Devon coast from being ruined by scallop dredging, which destroys both seabed species and the habitats on which they depend.

The Wildlife Trusts, led by the Devon Wildlife Trust, urged the Fisheries Minister, Jonathan Shaw, not to compromise and to ban the practice over 60 square miles of the reef, the option they needed to choose to effectively protect the vital habitats of the reefs. Taking the line that Lyme Bay provides the government with the ideal opportunity to demonstrate its firm commitment to protecting the UK’s marine wildlife, we lined up their Director Paul Gompertz for a stream of live radio interviews on BBC Radio 4 and 5 Live, not to mention several local radio interviews on top of that. As well as this we secured TV packages on BBC1 Lunchtime News, ITV Westcountry and BBC Spotlight South West. The coverage reached an audience of over 12 million people.

The campaign’s success spans well beyond audience figures and the calibre of coverage we got. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have announced their response to the 6-month consultation period and they are going for the option which most protects the reefs. Our work, intended to get to the key decision makers as well as help mobilize local people, played its part in influencing the decision.