Evidence and Management for Marine Recreational Activities – Call for Information

Do you have information on the impact (or lack of impact) of recreational activities on the marine environment?

Do you have information on the effectiveness of management measures to reduce the impact of recreational activities on the marine environment?

If so, we would like to hear from you.

ABPmer have been commissioned by Natural England and the Marine Management Organisation to review the evidence base on the environmental impacts of marine and coastal recreational activities and the effectiveness of different management options.

The study will:

1. update and collate the evidence base on the impacts of recreational activities
2. review the effectiveness of management options for recreational activities
3. provide recommendations, working with national stakeholders, to develop national best practice messaging for recreational users

The study focusses on impacts relating to intertidal/seabed abrasion, visual disturbance and noise disturbance for the following activities:

• motorised recreational vessels (powerboats, yachts)
• hovercrafts
• motorised personal watercraft (jet ski)
• towed watersports (e.g. waterskiing)
• wildlife watching (from land or sea)
• sailing vessels without engines (e.g. dinghy)
• non-motorised landcraft (sand yachting, kite buggying and landboarding)
• coasteering
• motorised  vehicles (e.g. quad bikes, scramble bikes, cars)
• boardsports (e.g. surfing, kayaking, kite surfing)
• paddlesports (e.g. paddle boarding)
• diving and snorkelling
• general beach leisure (including rock-pooling and swimming),
• light aircraft
• drones

The project will be carried out between November 2016 to March 2017.

The outputs of the review will include published guidance notes on the potential impacts, risks and management of different activities and a detailed toolkit including case studies to help guide future work engaging with recreational users on the management of MPAs.

During the review ABPmer will be approaching stakeholders directly for their feedback.  They also welcome any organisations or individuals to get in touch with any evidence (empirical or anecdotal) on the impacts (or lack of impact), of the above activities on the marine environment potential options for managing the activities and the effectiveness of management options.

If you would like to get in touch with the project team, please contact the Project Manager – Caroline Roberts – at ABPmer by email croberts@abpmer.co.uk.

Note:

Natural England (NE) is the government’s advisor on the natural environment whose role includes providing advice on the potential environmental impacts and management of recreational activities in the marine environment, particularly with regard to impacts on designated features of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the implications for meeting the Conservation Objectives of those sites.

The Marine Management Organisation is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. They licence, regulate and plan marine activities in the seas around England and Wales so that they’re carried out in a sustainable way.