Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan: strategic environmental assessment post-adoption statement

1 Background to the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan

1.1.1 The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS)^[1] sets out the vision for Scotland to achieve ambitious and urgent commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity decline and become Nature Positive by 2030 and to have restored and regenerated biodiversity across the country by 2045. The SBS delivery plan 2024 to 2030^[2] sets out an action to “Publish a plan for marine and coastal ecosystem restoration, including identifying actions to help prioritise habitats and locations suitable for restoration”. This will contribute to the achievement of Objective 1 of the SBS Strategy; to ‘accelerate ecosystem restoration and regeneration’. The first Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan (hereafter referred to as “the Plan”) was developed by the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate with input from a Stakeholder Advisory Group and informed by a public consultation held 29 July – 19 October 2025. The Plan was published in December 2025. The Plan provides an opportunity to identify and better understand restoration potential in Scottish waters, both in terms of environmental and socio-economic benefits.

1.1.2 The spatial extent of the Plan covers both the Scottish inshore region (0 - 12 NM) and the Scottish offshore region (12 – 200 NM), and terrestrial restoration where it directly benefits the marine environment. The Plan includes five themes:

• Restoration opportunities and priorities;
• Regulatory environment;
• Funding and finance;
• Supply chain, enabling drivers and communities; and
• Evidence and monitoring.

1.1.3 The Plan aims to:

• Achieve a better understanding of where active restoration can best take place, and how to prioritise species and habitats;
• Maximise ecological benefits and social and economic opportunities from active restoration; and
• Support community-led restoration and enable investment in restoration efforts.

1.1.4 The Plan sets out actions to support the aims outlined above.