Increase investment into activities that help restore Scotland’s coasts and seas, including through the Scottish Scotland’s Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF).
Priority Action 26. Increase investment into activities that help restore Scotland’s coasts and seas, including through the Scottish Scotland’s Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF).
The Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) is an operational marine restoration fund that provides grant support for coastal and marine enhancement projects across Scotland. It is funded through a mix of public contributions (including the Nature Restoration Fund) and voluntary private donations, and it supports projects such as seagrass restoration, seabird recovery, and wider marine habitat enhancement.
SMEEF is now an established delivery mechanism and has awarded funding to a range of projects across Scotland’s coasts and seas, operating through competitive grant rounds and targeted funding themes.
Evidence from the marine and coastal restoration plan consultation analysis shows that environmental NGOs and stakeholders generally view SMEEF positively, recognising its role in supporting marine restoration delivery and maintaining a pipeline of projects. However, some concerns are also raised about accessibility and capacity, including that schemes like SMEEF can be competitive, time-consuming to apply for, and challenging for smaller organisations due to upfront costs such as surveys and staffing.
Overall, SMEEF is an established and actively delivering fund, but stakeholder evidence suggests its effectiveness is partly constrained by scale, accessibility, and the need for complementary funding and capacity support.
SMEEF provides direct ecological benefits by funding marine habitat restoration and enhancement projects, including seagrass recovery, seabed habitat improvement, and species-focused conservation. These interventions are supported by wider scientific evidence as effective approaches for improving marine biodiversity, ecosystem function, and resilience.
SMEEF-funded projects are often enabling restoration work that would otherwise not proceed, particularly in emerging or experimental restoration areas. This suggests a clear positive ecological contribution at project level. However, evidence also indicates that the overall ecological impact remains limited by funding scale and project reach, meaning system-wide recovery of marine ecosystems cannot yet be demonstrated. NGO commentary reinforces that while SMEEF is a valuable mechanism, it needs to be part of a broader and better-resourced marine restoration system to achieve large-scale ecological improvement.
a href=”https://smeef.scot/”>Scotittsh Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund
Scottish Government – Marine and coastal restoration consultation analysis
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