Marine and coastal restoration plan: equality impact assessment

Background

The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan ('the plan') sets out objectives and actions needed to accelerate active marine and coastal restoration in Scotland, including by supporting communities interested in undertaking restoration. The plan defines active restoration as habitat (re)creation and species (re)introduction; examples include seagrass or saltmarsh planting, native oyster restoration and sand dune replenishment.

The desired outcomes for this first plan are to:

• achieve a better understanding across marine users 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
• support community-led restoration and enable investment in restoration efforts

Producing a Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan is a commitment by Scottish Ministers under the first Delivery Plan for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS). The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan will support actions towards Objective 1 of the SBS: to accelerate restoration and regeneration. The plan supports the National Outcome under Scotland’s National Performance Framework: “We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment”.

The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan is a national level policy, and its scope covers the inshore and offshore^[1] marine area as well as terrestrial areas where restoration would be beneficial to marine species and habitats. In general terms the plan will work to support a healthy, resilient and productive natural environment for everyone in Scotland. More specifically, the actions set out in the plan will primarily and most directly impact people undertaking restoration activity, as well as other marine sectors that may interact with marine restoration projects.

The marine restoration sector in Scotland is currently relatively small-scale, and mainly concentrated in coastal, rural and island areas. Many restoration projects are either community-led or heavily rely on community volunteers to carry out restoration activities. We anticipate the plan will benefit rural, coastal and island communities by making it easier to undertake restoration and promoting private sector funding into projects in the local area.

In terms of the impacts most relevant to this assessment, taking part in community restoration activity can increase opportunities to access and enjoy marine and coastal environments, as well as promote good relations between groups.