Marine and coastal restoration plan: equality impact assessment

The Scope of the EQIA

This EQIA considers the potential for this policy to impact equality with regards to the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. As the policy does not relate to work, this EQIA does not consider the protected characteristic of marriage and civil partnership^[2]. This assessment also gives due regard to the need to: eliminate unlawful discrimination; advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t; and foster or encourage good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t.

Evidence gathered focused on the environmental sector as a whole as there is no publicly available information on protected characteristics in the marine and coastal restoration sector. Publicly available sources of quantitative information were used, including Equality Evidence Finder, the Race Report 2024, reports by statutory advisors, Wildlife Trust reports, and the Racial Diversity in Environment Professions: 2022 report. Qualitative evidence was obtained through publicly available anecdotal articles, and the consultation which asked respondents, “Do you think that the objectives and actions proposed in this draft plan will have an impact (positive or negative) on protected characteristics, with particular regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity and promoting good relations?”.