Strong MPA management can recover threatened Scottish marine life

Summary

LINK Marine Group members and their supporters support the Scottish Government’s progress towards establishing a world leading, ecologically coherent network of well-managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

MPAs are crucial to help halt and reverse the environmental decline in Scotland’s seas and safeguard the benefits to society they provide.

• The Scottish Government have made good progress in designating 30 nature conservation MPAs
• However, progress has been less good in establishing management measures for those areas that have been designated. Management measures are only in place for 20 out of the 39 inshore protected areas that have so far had boundaries designated.

Key next steps for the Scottish Government are:

• Progression to consultation of the 4 ncMPAs and 2 harbour porpoise SACs. Formal advice on the 4 ncMPAs was provided as long ago as July 2014; reasons for the delay in consultation are not apparent.
• Establishing a fully resourced marine-monitoring strategy that can support future evidenced-based decision making, monitor the impact of the MPA network, and ensure compliance with management measures.