Anything on the seafloor. Benthic species or benthos are animals and plants which spend their lives attached to or moving on the sea floor (e.g. sponges, sea fans, starfish, crabs), benthic habitats are seafloor habitats (e.g. seagrass beds, rocky reefs).

Marine research is expensive and fraught with logistical difficulties. It is not surprising, then, that there are significant gaps in the scientific understanding of marine ecosystems. However, there is ample evidence of declines in the marine environment (such as collapse of fish stocks, disruption of habitats and disappearance of species), and that many of these declines are caused by human activities. Science can confidently predict that the decline of the marine environment will continue unless we change our behaviour. We also know that humans depend on the sea in many ways. So there is ample evidence to underpin the urgent need for better management of the sea.

In the face of urgent need for better management, waiting for perfect scientific information is not an option ? the marine environment would continue to decline, impacting wildlife as well as human livelihoods. We therefore consistently use the phrase 'best available science' to describe the scientific information we are using to support decision making. The phrase reflects the existing scientific uncertainties and knowledge gaps, at the same time as highlighting the need to obtain the most recent information, to update our own knowledge as new science emerges, and to engage with active researchers in marine science.

It is important to highlight that there is a whole field of research dedicated to conservation planning and decision making in the face of uncertainties. Furthermore, the seas around the UK are amongst the best-studied in the world. Best available science is good enough to underpin good decision-making, which will deliver benefits for wildlife as well as humans for generations to come.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms, including plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes that they contain, and the biotopes and ecosystems that they form.

The total mass of animals and plants.

A biotope is a set of plants and animals that commonly exist together within a given environment, e.g. a garden pond with its common set of inhabitants. Rather than a random assemblage of plants and animals, a biotope is something that will be encountered repeatedly in different locations, e.g. a garden pond in Kent will contain very similar plants and animals to a garden pond in Dorset. Examples of marine biotopes within our region are seagrass beds, kelp forests, rocky reefs with pink sea fans, and intertidal mudflats with worms and shellfish that support feeding birds.

The seabed adjacent to a continent, to depths of around 200 metres. At this depth, the seabed commonly drops off very steeply, forming the continental shelf slope which drops down to depths of 1,000m and deeper. The waters above the continental shelf are termed shelf seas, and they are commonly very productive. The UK is surrounded by extraordinarily extensive shelf seas, extending to around 200 nautical miles off the shoreline (and beyond that off the west coast of Scotland).

Defra is the UK Government department tasked with ensuring that we live within our environmental means. Amongst many environmental tasks, it is responsible for preparing the new UK Marine and Coastal Access Act.

Broadly, any knowledge that anyone has about ecology. More specifically, we use the phrase to mean information that a stakeholder might have about the natural ecology of the seas around us, such as fishermen?s knowledge of fish spawning grounds.

There will be a legal requirement for Finding Sanctuary to incorporate an economic impact assessment into our planning. That means predicting, as far as is possible based on existing information, the economic impacts of any proposed MPA networks. Economic impacts will need to be broken down into economic costs and benefits to different sectors.

An ecosystem is a set of plants and animals inhabiting a given space, the interactions between the different species, and the interactions between the species and their physical environment. It is defined at a much broader scale than the term biotope, i.e. an ecosystem would commonly contain many biotopes. An ecosystem functions based on balanced interactions, such as food webs. Every component of an ecosystem (plants, animals, physical environments, biotopes) has a particular role or function, meaning that its loss or disruption can have knock-on effects that reverberate around the whole ecosystem.

These are sometimes referred to as "Natura 2000" sites and were set up following a European Directive for conservation. They have been established on both land and sea and are managed by our statutory conservation agencies. Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) have been set up at sea for particular marine species or habitats. There are also some estuaries and coastlines that have been set up as Special Protection Areas (SPA) because they support large populations of birds. Each site is required to have a management plan that ensures these features are protected and maintained. For example, the Isles of Scilly is a Special Area of Conservation, and the Exe Estuary is a Special Protection Area (SPA).

This is a document by the European Commission, which sets out a framework for the development of national strategies throughout Europe, aimed at achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) in the marine environment by 2021 at the latest.

The term Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ is defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the sea area extending from a country?s coastline out to 200 nautical miles, or the medial line with its nearest neighbouring country. A country which declares an EEZ has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources within that area.

A food web is an integral part of an ecosystem. Loosely speaking, it describes "who eats who" within an ecosystem. It used to be thought of as a food chain, with smaller creatures getting eaten by increasingly big ones, but in fact, it's more of a web: A 9m-long basking shark feeds on microscopic plankton, big fish often eat any small fish (including their own offspring), and deep-sea crabs will eat the remains of a whale that sinks to the seafloor.

The physical environment within which plants and animals exist, and an integral part of a biotope. In the sea, habitats are defined by depth, water temperature, energy regime (strength of tidal stream, degree of wave exposure, speed of currents), water turbidity and light penetration, and seafloor characteristics. A habitat like a sheltered, deep-sea mud plain will be inhabited by very different creatures to an intertidal, wave-battered rocky shore.

The highest point that the sea consistently reaches on land.

The JNCC is the statutory adviser to Government on UK and international nature conservation. Its specific remit in the marine environment ranges from 12-200nm. The JNCC delivers the UK and international responsibilities of the four country nature conservation agencies of the devolved regions, including Natural England.

A new set of marine laws that is due to come into force in 2009-10. It will include new marine planning and licensing laws, the establishment of a Marine Management Organisation, strengthened fisheries and environmental management arrangements, improved recreational access to the English Coast and an obligation to create Marine Conservation Zones.

A Marine Protected Area forming part of a network to be designated nationally under the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act. The MCZ network will be designed by stakeholders through their involvement in regional projects such as Finding Sanctuary in the South West. The level of protection of each MCZ will not be the same and will be determined through the regional projects. It is likely that some Marine Conservation Zones will be given the highest level of protection, where no extraction will be permitted and these will be known as "Highly Protected Marine Reserves" or "no take zone".

Any area at sea where human activities are managed or restricted with the aim of protecting marine wildlife. Some people use the term to include areas that are set up to protect commercial fish stocks, where the primary aim would be fisheries management rather than more wide-reaching biodiversity conservation.

The sea provides us with many resources, or goods and services. The most obvious ones are fish and shellfish consumed as food. The sea also provides non-living resources which we can extract (e.g. aggregates used in construction), and renewable energy resources (wind, waves and tides). More loosely, the leisure and research opportunities provided by the sea might be considered a resource, e.g. a leisure boat operator might derive economic benefits from a pod of dolphins or seals. Ultimately, the sea also provides services which we cannot extract in any economic sense, but which help to support life. For example, much of the oxygen we breathe is released by phytoplankton (microscopic plants that live within the upper layers of the sea), and the sea absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which helps regulate climate.

A decision support software tool, consisting of a package of mathematical algorithms, which can cut through many, many layers of information, and suggest configurations for protected area networks that meet defined ecological targets. Marxan can be used to try and minimise economic costs of a network as well as ensure ecological integrity. It is a useful addition to the human mind in complex planning situations, but is not meant to replace people in decision making. It is best used to provide information to support a stakeholder process.

The boundary that separates one country's waters from another, where adjacent countries are closer than 400 nautical miles.

A set of MPAs that are planned together to achieve benefits beyond the sum of its parts. A network would commonly aim to represent 'a bit of everything', i.e. protect the full spectrum of habitats within a region, and be designed to enable movement and larval transport between protected areas.

A Non-Departmental Public Body and statutory advisor to Government established to conserve and enhance the natural environment, for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people and the economic prosperity that it brings.  Natural England has a specific remit from 0-12 nautical miles offshore.

A Marine Protected Area (MPA) from which the removal of any resources, living or dead is prohibited.

Non-native species are ones that have been introduced from outside of their native geographical range or habitat. There are about 65 known established non-native species in Britain. Their impact can be substantial: for instance, the slipper limpet and japweed may displace native species or change environmental conditions. However, many, such as the leathery sea squirt, usually 'fit-in' amongst the native fauna.

A way of gathering spatial information from a large number of stakeholders, allowing us to build up a picture of who uses the seas, and where that activity takes place.

Living in the water column.

Using natural resources in a way and at a level that can be maintained for future generations.