Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Scotland's
seas
The Marine (Scotland)
Act and the UK Marine and Coastal
Access Act include powers for Scottish Ministers to
designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Scotland’s seas as part
of a range of measures to manage and protect Scotland’s seas for
current and future generations. These, together with existing
Natura and other protected site designations, will form a network
of MPAs and help contribute to Scottish Government's vision for
"clean, healthy, safe, biologically diverse marine and coastal
environments, managed to meet the long-term needs of both people
and nature". This network will also help Scotland meet its
contribution to UK commitments under international conventions and
legislation such as the Convention on Biological
Diversity, the OSPAR Convention and the
Marine Strategy Framework
Directive for an ecologically coherent network of
MPAs.
The Marine (Scotland) Act outlines provisions
to designate MPAs for the following purposes within Scottish
territorial waters (within 12 nautical miles):
- Nature Conservation MPAs for
the conservation of nationally important marine wildlife, habitats,
geology and undersea landforms.
- Demonstration/Research MPAs to demonstrate or
research sustainable methods of marine management or
exploitation.
- Historic MPAs for features of historic/
cultural importance such as shipwrecks and submerged
landscapes.
The UK Marine and Coastal Access Act
includes equivalent provisions for Scottish Ministers to designate
MPAs for the conservation of nationally important marine wildlife,
habitats, geology and undersea landforms in offshore waters
(outside 12 nautical miles) adjacent to Scotland. For
consistency, they will collectively be referred to as Nature
Conservation MPAs and will be established using the same
Site Selection Guidelines.
Nature Conservation MPAs will be
delivered through the Scottish MPA
Project.