Consultation closes 20 March 2023 The Scottish Government is consulting on the introduction of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in Scottish waters. Through the Bute House Agreement the Scottish Government has to designate at least 10% of Scotland’s seas as HPMAs by 2026. The intention is that the HPMAs will provide high levels of protection for conservation […]
Closes 4th January 2021. The Scottish Government is consulting on the introduction of market restrictions on the most commonly littered single-use plastic items found on European beaches. This would effectively ban these items. The results of the consultation will be used to inform policy and any future legislation as Scotland seeks to match the requirements […]
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has launched a consultation to gather views and evidence for a network of 10 proposed Special Protection Areas (pSPA) to protect coastal and offshore waters for the benefit of marine birds in Scotland. The SNH are seeking views on the following topics: Proposed designations and bird species Scientific evidence Advice to […]
Scotland’s first National Marine Plan was adopted on 25 March 2015 and laid before the Scottish Parliament on 27 March 2015 Setting out a single statutory planning framework for all marine activity – existing and emering, including devolved and reserved functions – within Scottish waters, the plan covers Scotland’s seas to the 200 nautical miles boundary and has a 3 […]
On the 11th December 2014 the draft National Marine Plan for Scottish waters was submitted to Scottish Parliament. The plan will be critically examined during a 40 day period by parliament and Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee (RACCE). The plan covers Scotland’s inshore and offshore waters, with the primary aim to manage human […]
The Scottish Government has announced it is to creat a new new wave energy technology development body – Wave Energy Scotland. It will bring together expertise from engineering and academia to collaborate on innovative projects to accelerate the development of wave technology. Scottish waters offer the majority of the UK’s wave resources – potentially 46 TWh/year. For more […]
The Scottish Government has permitted the development of four offshore wind farms within the Scottish territory of the North Sea. Offshore wind farms will include Seagreen Alpha and Bravo, Inch Cape, and Neart na Goaithe which will collectively generate 2,284 megawatts and power up to 1.4 million homes. The Scottish Government is aiming to generate […]
The Scottish Government has published a report called ‘2014 Consultation on the Management of Inshore Special Areas of Conservation and Marine Protected Areas Approaches’. The report reviews an array of management practices proposed for 16 protected areas in Scotland (8 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and 10 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), with 2 having both designations). […]
The Celtic Seas Partnership is a four year EC Life+ project supporting the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in the Celtic Seas. It aims to draw people together from across the Celtic Seas to set up collaborative and innovative approaches to managing their marine environment. It is working to put the people […]
Marine Scotland has published its first Marine Litter Strategy. Its main purpose is to develop methods to ensure clean, safe, tidy, diverse and productive coastal and marine environments in the future. The strategy underpins developments in marine legislation through the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 in promoting sustainable use of the environment to enhance ecological, economic and […]