After years of campaigning by WDC and others, the Scottish government announced today that it is considering the creation of four new marine protected areas (MPAs) around its coastline, which will now go out for public consultation.
WDC first proposed the three sites that include Risso’s dolphins and minke whales back in 2011. Thanks to the help of our supporters, WDC was able to provide 36,000 signatures and supporting scientific evidence to Richard Lochhead (then Cabinet Secretary for the Environment in Scotland) in 2012. We congratulate the current Cabinet Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, for bringing these proposed MPAs to consultation, and Scottish Natural Heritage and Marine Scotland for their work in getting them to this stage …