Scotland’s National Marine Plan (NMP) was published in 2015 and following statutory reviews on the current plan, last year Scottish Ministers committed to update and replace the NMP (NMP2). The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 requires that a sustainability appraisal is undertaken to assess the impact of the proposed policies within the National Marine […]
Three quarters of the UK lies beneath the sea, yet when it comes to climate policy our focus remains concentrated on the quarter of the UK above the shoreline. Carbon is captured in the UK ocean by habitats such as saltmarsh, seagrass, kelp forests and biogenic reefs, and vast amounts of carbon is stored in […]
A UCL led study has highlighted the urgent need to restore seagrass meadows around the UK after calculating as much as 92% of these underwater meadows have been lost in British waters ‘The spatial extent of seagrass is poorly mapped, and knowledge of historical loss is limited. Here, we collated empirical and qualitative data using […]
A UCL led study has highlighted the urgent need to restore seagrass meadows around the UK after calculating as much as 92% of these underwater meadows have been lost in British waters ‘The spatial extent of seagrass is poorly mapped, and knowledge of historical loss is limited. Here, we collated empirical and qualitative data using […]
Almost five years of studying the deep Atlantic in unprecedented detail has revealed 12 species new to science by multination research team. The sea mosses, molluscs and corals had eluded discovery because the sea floor is so unexplored, scientists say. Researchers warn that the newly discovered animals could already be under threat from climate change. […]
Laura Laker, the Guardian ‘Friends of the Earth says revised national planning policy makes it ‘virtually impossible’ for councils to refuse fracking schemes. The government is facing a legal challenge over its new planning policy, which campaigners say was illegally adopted because the government failed to assess its environmental impact. The revised National Planning Policy Framework, […]
ABPmer: Steve Hull ‘The wild seaweed harvesting sector has indicated its aspiration to develop industrial-scale harvesting around Scotland. In response, Marine Scotland contracted ABPmer to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the potential environmental effects of wild harvesting of seaweeds and seagrasses to inform future regulation. As part of the policy making process, this […]
Twenty-two reports covering this major SEA in relation to both oil and gas and renewables. Consultation closes on April 29th The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of a draft plan/programme to enable future renewable leasing for offshore wind, wave and tidal devices and licensing/leasing for seaward […]