Google Earth, the online mapping service that offers a bird's-eye view of the globe, will now let users see underwater landscapes from around the world.

The new feature lets people go on a virtual dive, seeing some of the most endangered marine spots on the planet. The software, which can be downloaded now, comes with video streams, photo galleries and stories from marine protected areas across the globe.

It has been produced as part of the Google Earth Outreach programme, which gives charities and campaign groups access to Google's data and programming resources. Previous projects have shown the sites of attacks on refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan and the environmental impact of mining in the Appalachian Mountains.

For the latest project, undersea views include those of the habitat of threatened species that live off the coast of England.

Natural England, the Government’s conservation agency, has contributed information about 43 marine sites that offer protection to species such as the basking shark, as well as seahorses, corals and algae.

Dr Helen Phillips, chief executive of Natural England, said she hoped that the project would bring the marine environment to life and raise awareness of the need to conserve and enhance it.

“There needs to be a change in attitudes towards protecting our oceans,” Dr Phillips said. “The diversity of marine wildlife around England’s coastline is exceptional. We have everything from whales through to microscopic phytoplankton.

“But we need an enhanced marine protection system to help conserve our undersea environment.”

The new site is being launched at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s world conservation congress in Barcelona.

The group’s new global web portal, Protect Planet Ocean, also launched today, will provide information on what it says is the urgent need to strengthen the protection provided for the marine environment.

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