Marine and coastal restoration plan: equality impact assessment

Executive summary

The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan is the first plan of its kind in Scotland, with a dedicated focus on the marine and coastal environment. The plan will set out actions to accelerate marine restoration in Scotland, across five key themes: Restoration opportunities and priorities; Regulatory environment; Funding and finance; Communities and supply chains; and Evidence and monitoring.

Accelerating active restoration in Scotland’s marine and coastal areas has the potential to enhance the resilience of our environment and support livelihoods of people in rural and coastal communities. Policy development for the plan was informed by discussions with a cross-sectoral stakeholder advisory group who brought a wide range of perspectives to the table.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) aims to consider how policy may impact, either positively or negatively, on different sections of the population in different ways, looking specifically at the protected characteristics of: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. This EQIA has been undertaken to consider the impacts on equality of the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan.

The evidence gathered through consultation and stakeholder engagement, as well as a review of existing data, indicates this policy will have some but mostly indirect impacts on people with a protected characteristic. We consider the impacts to relate mostly to promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations.