Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas - High level Site Summary Details and Potential Impacts of Proposed Fisheries Management Measures

4. Ecosystem Services

The term 'ecosystem services' relates to the direct and indirect contributions that ecosystems provide to society. Due to data constraints and scientific uncertainty, it is challenging to assess a monetary value for the expected change in ecosystem services. Therefore, a qualitative assessment has been undertaken.

The analysis of changes to ecosystem services has considered both impacts within the site or area, and impacts outside the site or area. Impacts outside the site or area can be positive (e.g. by supporting healthier fish stocks) or negative (e.g. due to the impacts of displaced fishing vessels). The analysis focusses on ecosystem services that are material. This means that their extent and value is significant enough to make a difference to decisions on the proposed fisheries management measures.

The list of final ecosystem services to be considered in the assessment is:

Provisioning:

• Fish & shellfish stocks
• Energy
• Harvestable seaweed
• Genetic resources
• Sand & gravel supply

Supporting:

• Food webs
• Nutrient cycling
• Water cycling
• Larval/gamete supply
• Habitats for species
• Water current & sediment transport

Regulating:

• Carbon storage
• Storm protection
• Waste breakdown & detoxification
• Climate & temperature regulation
• Sediment stabilisation

Cultural:

• Tourism
• Recreation
• Seascapes
• Knowledge (i.e., science and education)
• Wildlife watching
• Creativity and art
• Health & well-being
• Spirituality

Further information on how these services have been assessed is available in the SEIA (Section 6 and Appendix A part A.5).