Community engagement events for National Marine Plan 2: analysis and synthesis
This report presents findings and recommendations offered by contractors Howell Marine Consulting (HMC) to support the Marine Directorate in development of the National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2).
1 Background
Scotland’s first National Marine Plan (NMP), published and adopted in 2015, was created to help manage the use of Scotland’s seas in a sustainable way.
The policies and objectives of the NMP set out how Scottish Ministers intended marine resources to be used, and managed, out to 200 nautical miles, supporting development and activity while incorporating environmental protection into marine decision-making. Public authorities must take authorisation or enforcement decisions in accordance with the NMP, unless relevant considerations indicate otherwise.
In accordance with Scottish and UK legislation the Scottish Government is required to conduct three-yearly reviews on how the NMP is being used and implemented by decision-makers and publish a report on those findings.
Findings from statutory reviews in 2018 and 2021, as well as stakeholder feedback, highlighted the need to update the NMP to help tackle the twin climate and biodiversity crises and support the Scottish Government’s net zero ambitions.
These ambitions can be achieved through providing better support for future licensing and consenting decisions, setting the context for regional and sectoral planning, and a better alignment with the terrestrial planning equivalent - National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4).
Work began in 2022 to create an updated marine plan, National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2), to better reflect how the sea is currently being used, and to plan for its continued and sustainable future use.