Background and terminology relating to MPA and PMF management measures
This page provides some background on our advice to support the management measures for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), as well as our advice on Priority Marine Features (PMFs) outside the MPA network. The page also provides explanations for some commonly used terms throughout the consultation and in our advice.
Background
Our role is to provide advice on how Conservation Objectives can be achieved for MPAs, and on the policy protection for PMFs – this includes advice to support management and advice on interactions that may impact marine features. Our advice takes a risk-based approach and is influenced by the level of evidence and knowledge available.
We have provided advice throughout the process in the development of management measures for MPAs and PMFs outside the MPA network, which began in 2016. The individual advice was correct at the time of writing and dates have been included in documents to make this clear. However, please note the advice may have been superseded, for example, by more recent advice, changes in interpretation due to new evidence and/ or new policies, or other management measures being implemented.
Terminology
Some terms commonly used in our advice are described below. Note that that some terms and names are different in older documents and advice.
- MS refers to Marine Scotland, which changed to Marine Directorate in 2023
- SNH is Scottish Natural Heritage – which is now NatureScot – Scotland’s nature agency
- Phase 2 – is an older term that describes the second tranche of work to identify and propose management measures for MPAs that required them – i.e. the current MPA proposals.
- Phase 1 describes the first tranche of management measures that came into force in 2016.
Find out about other MPA and PMF terminology in the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
