Draft marine and coastal restoration plan: strategic environmental assessment environmental report

Non-Technical Summary

Introduction

The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS)^[1] sets out the vision for Scotland to achieve ambitious and urgent commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity decline and become Nature Positive by 2030 and to have restored and regenerated biodiversity across the country by 2045. The SBS delivery plan 2024 to 2030 sets out an action to “Publish a plan for marine and coastal ecosystem restoration, including identifying actions to help prioritise habitats and locations suitable for restoration”. This will contribute to the achievement of Objective 1 (accelerate ecosystem restoration and regeneration) of the SBS Strategy. The Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate is developing the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan, which is the subject of this SEA.

The Plan will provide an opportunity to identify and better understand restoration potential in Scottish waters, both in terms of environmental and socio-economic benefits. The Plan will identify actions needed to achieve its aims and will consider delivery of these actions over longer timescales (beyond 2025 in most cases).

There is growing interest in active restoration projects in Scotland which can play an important role in contributing to a healthy marine environment as they aim to improve the quality, size or geographical distribution of habitats or species. Healthy, biologically diverse seas provide a range of natural benefits to society which support the economy, our well-being, and will be critical in managing the impacts of climate change. There is also potential for socio-economic benefits, for example in the form of job creation, supply chain development, upscaling, and skills development, particularly in rural and island communities. Therefore, the Plan provides an opportunity to identify and facilitate restoration potential in Scottish waters, both in terms of ecological and socio-economic benefits.

The spatial extent of the Plan covers both the Scottish inshore region (0 - 12 NM) and the Scottish offshore region (12 – 200 NM), with additional terrestrial and intertidal considerations. The Plan has not yet been implemented, and this SEA assesses at a high level the potential environmental effects of the objectives and actions across five themes within the Plan.

What is Strategic Environmental Assessment?

In line with the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (“the 2004 Regulations”)^[2] and The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005^[3] (“the 2005 Act”), Scottish Ministers have applied the SEA process as part of the development of the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan^[4]. These require that certain public plans, programmes and strategies be assessed for their potential effects on the environment. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is the process used to fulfil this requirement and includes consultation with the public and the Consultation Authorities.

SEA identifies the likely significant environmental impacts of plans and policies and proposed reasonable alternatives to them. SEA also identifies mitigation measures that are required to avoid or minimise any significant negative effects and highlights opportunities for enhancements of positive effects. Taking place at an early stage in the plan or policy preparation process, it ensures that decision-making is informed by relevant environmental information. SEA provides opportunities for the public to consider this information and use it to inform their views on the draft plan or policy.

A screening and scoping exercise was undertaken by Scottish Government in accordance with the requirements of the 2004 Regulations. Comments were invited from the Scottish Consultation Authorities. The outcome from the Screening and Scoping Report and the consultation responses confirmed the need for an SEA as there is potential for significant environmental effects to occur as a direct result of the proposals. Their views are taken into account in this report which summarises the findings of the SEA.

Further details of the SEA process are set out in Section 1.2 of the main report.

What is contained in the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan?

The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan encourages active restoration projects to take place within Scottish waters, to help meet ambitions within the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy which sets out the vision for Scotland to achieve ambitious and urgent commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity decline and become Nature Positive by 2030.

The policy includes five core themes:

• Restoration opportunities and priorities;
• Regulatory environment;
• Funding and finance;
• Supply chain and communities; and
• Evidence and monitoring.

The Plan aims to:

• Achieve a better understanding of where active restoration can best take place, and how we can prioritise species and habitats;
• Maximise ecological benefits and social and economic opportunities from active restoration; and
• Support community-led restoration and enable investment in restoration efforts.

Further details of the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan are set out in Section 1.1 of the main report.

How was the Strategic Environmental Assessment undertaken?

The SEA provides a high-level assessment of the potential environmental effects that are likely to result from the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan, and consideration of a series of SEA objectives. These SEA objectives reflect the scope of the assessment as well the environmental protection objectives from relevant legislation. The assessment has identified the individual and overall (cumulative) potential positive and negative effects of the policy on a number of SEA topics, specifically Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna; Soil; Water; Climatic Factors; Cultural Heritage; Landscape/Seascape; Population and Human Health; and Material Assets. In order to recognise the interlinkages of these SEA topics, Soil, Water, and Climatic Factors have collectively been given consideration under the overarching topic Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna.

A total of five themes have been assessed in the SEA across eight SEA topics and 13 SEA objectives.

The potential economic and social impacts that may result from the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan do not form part of the scope of this SEA. Additional assessments may be undertaken, as appropriate, to help estimate the socio-economic benefits, costs, and risks associated with the policy.

Further details of the approach to the assessment are set out in Section 3 of the main report.

Which reasonable alternatives have been assessed?

In line with the 2004 Regulations, there is a requirement to consider reasonable alternatives that fulfil the objective of the plan as part of the SEA. The overarching option of “do nothing” (i.e., not to implement the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan) is considered as a reasonable alternative. The consideration of actions for regulatory reform is also considered as a reasonable alternative.

Further details of reasonable alternatives are set out in Section 4.2.43 of the main report.

What is the current state of the environment?

The Scottish marine environment covers an area of over 462,000 km². It comprises a wide variety of habitats including intertidal rocky and sediment shores, subtidal rocky reefs and sandy / muddy sea bed to deep-sea sediment sea floor as well as the water column itself. Scotland has over 18,000 km of coastline and its inshore and offshore areas are among the largest of any country in Europe, representing 13% of all European seas.

Scotland’s marine environment supports a diverse complex of different habitats, which in turn support a wide range of marine plants and animals. Estimates suggest there are around 6,500 species of animals and plants (excluding microbial flora and seabirds) in Scotland’s seas.

At a high level, key pressures to species and habitats in Scotland’s inshore waters can be caused by climate change, coastal developments, dredging for sediments, pollution, marine litter, seabed abrasion, and the introduction and spread of invasive non-native species, in addition to localised pressures from specific activities in the area that particular species or habitats may be found. The effect of pressures is dependent on their intensity and the sensitivity and vulnerability of marine and coastal species and habitats to the pressures.

Benthic (seafloor) habitats are vital natural resources, as many marine species rely, directly or indirectly, on the seafloor to feed, hide, rest or reproduce. Generally benthic habitats are characterised by low mobility species. Benthic marine habitats within the Scottish marine environment can be characterised into three broad groups: intertidal habitats; subtidal (inshore and shelf sea); and deep sea habitats (found predominantly in offshore waters, and to a very limited extent inshore).

The pelagic environment (the water column) operates at a large scale in terms of physical, chemical, and biological processes, which can have consequences through the food chain and other habitat types^[5]. As well as providing an important role in climate regulation, the pelagic environment provides vital habitat that supports a wide range of mobile species.

Scotland’s marine environment has a range of mobile species with several populations considered to be either of international or national importance. Mobile species in Scottish waters include seals, cetaceans, birds, fish and European otter.

The importance of Scotland’s marine ecosystems is reflected in the range of designations which protect them at international and national levels. The Scottish MPA network consists of 247 sites, 233 of these are for nature conservation purposes, covering 37% of Scotland’s seas.

Scotland’s seas (out to 3 NM from territorial baseline) are mostly classed as being of high or good ecological status under the Water Framework Directive (WFD), although there are some poorer quality waters in certain areas. The latest assessment of progress towards achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) (which applies out to the limit of Scotland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)) shows signs of recovery for some descriptors, but GES has not been achieved overall^[6].

The key pressures on the climate are derived from the continued global emission of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide. These emissions are recognised as leading to changes in the global climate (including changes in temperatures, precipitation, and storm density) in turn causing changes in the physical characteristics of the oceans, including potential changes in sea temperatures, circulation, salinity, pH and sea level rise.

Marine and coastal ecosystems that capture and store carbon through natural processes, often referred to as blue carbon habitats, contribute to climate regulation through the ability to convert CO₂ into organic (biological) material and store it within living biomass, root systems, and sediments^[7]. The cycling of carbon can be found in assorted forms and be cycled at differing rates with the effectiveness of long-term storage differing between habitats. Scottish blue carbon habitats are wide ranging, and some core key habitats include seagrass, saltmarsh, kelp beds, other seaweeds and seabed sediments^[8].

There are numerous scheduled monuments and listed buildings along the Scottish coastline, with designated wrecks and military remains sites identified both inshore and offshore. Three of Scotland’s six designated World Heritage Sites (WHS) are on the coast (St. Kilda; The Heart of Neolithic Orkney; The Forth Bridge). Other key coastal features include a number of Category A listed lighthouses, ecclesiastical remains, coastal heritage museums, military defences, harbours, forts and castles. There are nine Historic MPAs designated within Scottish waters.

Scotland’s landscapes and seascapes are a shared resource for everyone and bring many social and health benefits to people. There are many pressures on the landscapes and seascapes around the Scottish coastline including; coastal and marine development, changing physical processes and the projected effects of climate change. Approximately 13% of Scotland has been classified as a National Scenic Area (NSA)^[9]. There are 40 NSAs, with 27 located within or adjacent to coastal areas.

Approximately £18 billion of Scottish buildings and infrastructure lie within 50 m of the shoreline. About one quarter, or £5 billion, of these assets are protected by artificial defences with the other £13 billion of these assets protected by natural defences, such as sand dunes^[10]. Despite this, only 7% of the Scottish coastline is lined with seawalls or artificial beaches. The majority of the coastline (75%) is naturally stable, with the remaining 25% being either accretional, erosional, or lacking data ^[11].

In 2022, the marine economy generated £4.9 billion in approximate GVA, 3% of the overall Scottish economy. In this same year, the marine economy employed 71,000 people (headcount), 2.7% of the total Scottish employment^[12]. Coastal communities, living within 5 km of the coast, account for an estimated 41%¹¹ of Scotland’s total population.

Scotland’s People and Nature Survey (SPANS) provides detailed data on how adults in Scotland use, value and enjoy the environment and connect with nature^[13]. The 2023/2024 survey found that 84% of visits to the environment were motivated by health and wellbeing, demonstrating the ongoing need to provide access to green spaces in Scotland. Additionally, the Ocean Literacy Survey examined public awareness and understanding of the marine environment, highlighting its value, with 85% expressing the importance to protect it^[14].

Further details of the environmental baseline are set out in Section 9 of the main report.

What are the likely significant environmental effects of the Plan?

This SEA has been undertaken as a high-level assessment of the potential environmental effects that are likely to result from the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan.

Through the consideration of eight SEA topics, the positive environmental effects of enhanced ecosystem restoration and regeneration with accompanied wellbeing benefits resulting from the Plan are anticipated to be greater than the potential negative effects related to the risk of accidental introduction of Invasive Non Native Species (INNS), displacement of activities and modifications to material assets through its implementation.

Two reasonable alternatives have been considered, “do nothing” and pursuing actions for regulatory reform. In the “do nothing” scenario, positive environmental effects will still be realised but on a smaller, and less ambitious scale. It is noted that a wide range of measures are being pursued to support progress towards GES, and active restoration is just one part of this. However, while it is anticipated that active restoration may make a relatively small overall contribution to achieving GES and the SBS vision, the Plan will seek to maximise this contribution.

Whilst not considered within this iteration of the Plan, pursuing regulatory reform has been considered previously and may be considered in future iterations of the Plan. With regulatory reform, positive environmental and social effects may be greater than with the current regulatory framework, should processes become more accessible for stakeholders. However, this may not be necessary should the Plan adequately enable users to interpret and navigate the existing policies and processes. The reasonable alternatives are therefore not being carried forward at this stage.

In terms of cumulative effects of the Plan as a whole, the positive environmental effects would be additive, should the objectives and underpinning actions across all five themes of the Plan be implemented. Given the interdependencies between themes, should themes (and associated objectives and actions) be excluded from the Plan, there are likely to still be positive environmental effects but these would be lower.

Further details of the environmental effects are set out in Section 4 of the main report.

What are the cumulative effects of the Plan?

Cumulative effects have been considered in two ways in the assessment:

• First, as the cumulative effect of the implementation of the objectives and actions across the five themes; and
• Second, the cumulative effect of the implementation of the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan alongside other plans and programmes.

The actions and objectives under the five themes within the Plan are designed to act in conjunction to support and enable active restoration. Should not all the themes be implemented within the Plan, there are still likely to be some positive environmental effects. However, as each theme addresses different aspects of the restoration process, without all five, existing obstacles may still be present, restricting the positive effects realised by the Plan.

When considering cumulative effects with other plans, programmes, and strategies, there could be cumulative positive effects from active restoration as well as cumulative negative effects from potential displacement of activities (e.g., from fisheries management measures being considered for inshore Marine Protected Areas and priority marine features or from the draft updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy). However, potential displacement effects from the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan have not been assessed as being significant at this stage. The full environmental effects of the policy will depend on the details of implementation and the objectives and actions within the themes brought forward.

Further details are set out in Section 4.5 of the main report.

How will significant environmental effects be mitigated and monitored?

Potential displacement effects from the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan have not been assessed as being significant at this stage. The full environmental effects of the Plan will depend on the details of implementation and the objectives and actions within the themes brought forward.

Should the Plan be implemented, there could be potential negative effects should INNS be accidentally introduced, and potential displacement of activities and intensification of these activities elsewhere. Overall, however, there are no anticipated significant negative environmental effects from the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan.

The Environmental Report has not identified any additional factors beyond those addressed in policy-making that would need to be monitored. If a monitoring strategy were to be developed, it should be undertaken in a proportionate manner, with existing data sources, environmental indicators, and monitoring programmes being utilised where possible. It should be noted however, that positive environmental effects can take many years in some cases to be measurable.

Further details of mitigation and monitoring are set out in Section 4.6 of the main report.