Marine and coastal restoration plan: island communities impact assessment

1. Policy objectives

What are the objectives of the policy, strategy or service?

The restoration of marine and coastal habitats and species is one of several wider enhancement activities employed to deliver environmental benefits.

The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan is the first of its kind in Scotland, with a dedicated focus on restoration. It has an overall objective to support the acceleration of active restoration efforts within the marine and coastal space. The plan will support Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (2024) Objective 1: “to accelerate restoration and regeneration”.

The intended impacts/outcomes of the 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

The plan outlines a number of actions, identified under five themes, which will support the achievement of the stated impacts/outcomes. These actions will be delivered over the lifespan of the plan and will involve multiple parties. Some will be government-led; some will be led by others, including regulators and restoration projects themselves; and some will require a combination of government and other parties working together. The plan has a national focus and the issues it seeks to address are relevant to the whole of Scotland – this includes the mainland and islands.

Is the policy, strategy or service new?

The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan is a new policy being implemented by Scottish Government. There are numerous policy areas focussing on pressure management (passive restoration), but the plan is the first of its kind in Scotland to place a focus on supporting active restoration. Publishing the plan is a commitment under the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Delivery Plan 2024 to 2030; “Publish a plan for marine and coastal ecosystem restoration, including identifying actions to help prioritise habitats and locations suitable for restoration”.

How are islands identified for the purpose of the policy, strategy or service?

For the purpose of the plan, islands are identified in line with the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018. The act defines an island community as a community which consists of two or more individuals, all of whom permanently inhabit (whether or not the same island), and is based on common interests, identity or geography (including in relation to any uninhabited islands whose natural environment and terrestrial, marine and associated ecosystems contribute to the natural or cultural heritage of and inhabited island).

What are the intended impacts/outcomes and how do these potentially differ in the islands?

The strategic outcomes for this policy are set out under section 1.

The intended outcome of the plan is to accelerate and support active restoration in Scotland. This outcome is hoped to be achieve across the whole of Scotland, including the islands. While we acknowledge that the outcomes have potentially unique or complex barriers to achievement on islands, the intended outcomes of the plan do not differ for the islands. The intended impacts and outcomes do not differ between the islands.