Offshore Marine Protected Areas in Scottish waters: strategic environmental assessment - post adoption statement

2 The Strategic Environmental Assessment Process

2.1.1 The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (“the 2004 Regulations”) requires that certain public plans, programmes and strategies be assessed for their potential effects on the environment. Therefore a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was carried out^[16]. The SEA is a way of examining plans, programmes and strategies as they develop, to identify any significant effects they may have on the environment. It ensures that environmental considerations are taken into account. The process also requires the identification of measures to avoid, reduce or offset any significant adverse effects, and good practice encourages consideration of opportunities to enhance the environmental performance of the plan.

2.1.2 This SEA process began with the production of a combined Screening and Scoping Report which was published in March 2022, setting out the proposed approach to the SEA, including the proposed scope and level of detail. Representations received from the SEA Consultation Authorities^[17] at the scoping stage helped to inform the following stages of the SEA process.

2.1.3 The assessment stage of the SEA was progressed, and the production of the Environmental Report was published for consultation on 19 August 2024^[18], together with a number of documents, including the following:

• A consultation paper explaining what the consultation aims to achieve, how it was developed, and what it will cover^[19];
• A site proposal document describing the process, justification and evidence used to develop site-specific management measures^[20];
• Draft Fisheries Assessments for each site that management measures were proposed for;
• A Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA);
• A Sustainability Appraisal summarising the outcomes of the SEA and SEIA;
• Partial Business Regulatory Impact Assessments (BRIAs); and
• An Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA).

2.1.4 In addition to seeking feedback on the proposed management measures for 20 offshore MPAs, the consultation sought views and comments on the proposed amendment to the West of Scotland NCMPA boundary. This was proposed to aid in the implementation of fisheries management measures within the NCMPA and resolve an issue with the original site boundary designation.

2.1.5 Following consultation, an independent analysis of all consultation responses received was carried out^[21]. The views expressed in the consultation helped to inform the proposed management measures for offshore MPAs.

2.1.6 This Post Adoption Statement concludes the SEA process and sets out those ways in which the findings of the Environmental Report, and the views expressed by consultees have been taken into account.

2.1.7 Regulation 16(4) of the 2004 Regulations sets out the information that should be included in the Post Adoption Statement. This can be summarised as:

• How the environmental considerations have been integrated into the plan, programme, or strategy (Section 3);
• How the Environmental Report has been taken into account (Section 4);
• How the opinions of consultees have been taken into account (Section 5);
• The reasons for choosing the plan, programme or strategy as adopted, in light of the other reasonable alternatives considered (Section 6); and
• The measures to be taken to monitor the significant environmental effects of the implementation of the plan, programme or strategy (Section 7).