Marine and coastal enhancement projects within Scottish inshore waters - Guidance on scoping a proposal

NatureScot are Scotland’s nature agency and we work to improve our natural environment in Scotland and inspire everyone to care more about it. As the nature advisor for Scottish Government we are the key organisation in providing advice on marine and coastal enhancement projects in Scotland. NatureScot‘s advisors help those planning new enhancement projects, from early engagement, through to full proposal and subsequent project development and monitoring. We provide a wide range of skills and experience in specific species and habitats, local knowledge, enhancement projects and conservation and management.

Marine and coastal enhancement framework

This document provides guidance on NatureScot’s framework to support the development of suitable marine and coastal enhancement projects in Scotland. This is primarily aimed at four features which have been of the highest interest, including native oysters, seagrass, saltmarsh and coastal sand dunes, though it also provides a useful guide to other habitats or species (hereon named ‘features’).

The framework aims to guide those planning an enhancement project through the process, advising on the types of information required by NatureScot, other regulators and funding bodies, as well as what approaches are most likely to lead to success. Ultimately the framework provides a clear structure from which applicants may build their proposals and map out the necessary components to ensure an efficient process.

The provision and use of a consistent framework allows NatureScot to provide better advice, in a timely manner, ensure consistency between different projects, support site suitability assessments and in doing so improve the chances of success in enhancement projects. The framework also ensures we provide suitable guidance on project compliance and risks to ensure greater project efficiency and progression at the early stages.

It is recognised that an iterative approach is often best suited to developing enhancement projects. Therefore NatureScot welcomes initial informal discussion in the first instance, with this then informing initial steps and development of a proposal.

At this initial enquiry stage, the Marine Scotland Licencing Operations Team (MS-LOT) should also be contacted as, even if the activity is exempt, this will require confirmation by Marine Scotland or completion of their exemption form. Whilst an overview of licensing is provided in the Regulation and Management Section 4, initial guidance can be sought online.

Initial enquiries with NatureScot

NatureScot welcome initial enquiries by email and telephone. This should provide a very brief overview of the planned project to cover:

• Lead applicant details
• Enhancement feature and type
• Site location
• Primary project objective(s)
• Timescales

2. Project Rationale

3. Site Profile

Overview

Essential to the success of any project will be the collection of biological and environmental site characteristics and assessing their suitability for the enhancement planned. This section considers aspects applicable to all features, whilst specialist guidance for each feature, i.e. native oysters, seagrass, salt marsh and coastal sand dunes, may be accessed from the links in the ‘Further information’ section at the end of this document.

Site Suitability

Natural characteristics

In order to assess the suitability of a site for the planned enhancement, the wider environment and ecosystem dynamics will need to be assessed. These include key issues such as the conditions leading to a need for enhancement in the first place, and whether this is the most appropriate location to achieve the enhancement. These may be explored through a few key questions:

• If the enhancement focuses on a new location, what are the key environmental and other conditions that will ensure success, and how well does this site meet those conditions? These may consider substrate, depth, light quality, turbidity, exposure, intertidal exposure, water quality, seasonal change etc., as well as any model outputs on habitat suitability and connectivity.
• What is the current and historical temporal / spatial change of the feature at the site, in terms of extent and distribution, condition, as well as resident population sub-species, variety etc.? Assessment may be informed by data in the National Marine Plan interactive portal and NatureScot’s Sitelink for protected areas.
• What other species occupy the area, considering food chains, predators, herbivores, pollinators and dispersers, pathogens and parasites?
• Is the site large enough to enhance the wider ecosystem or other objectives and is the feature sufficiently connected to or dependent on other sites?
• It is useful to outline how these characteristics have been informed or estimated (also see ‘Evidence Base’ below).

Answers to the above questions will set the scene for site suitability alongside a background understanding of the feature’s basic biology as well as life stage requirements, reproduction, population dynamics, seasonal biological change and species interactions, etc.

Activities and pressures

The site suitability assessment should also be informed by the current activities and pressures in the area and it would be useful to note patterns of use, known impacts and any management of activities. Pressures might include, for example, known fishing pressures, dredging and recreational shipping activities, atmospheric nitrogen deposition to sand dunes and saltmarsh. Meanwhile management activities might include presence/absence of grazers on saltmarsh and sand dunes, drainage or other influences on water levels and water quality in coastal wetlands. It is important to consider:

• If the need for enhancement is due to external or internal pressures on a site, what are those pressures, are they still present and if so increasing or decreasing, and how will they influence the success of the planned enhancement?

Evidence base

Existing data

The evidence base is a critical component to any enhancement project to gain support and help ensure project success. In the first instance, this is likely to include collating information on historic in-situ surveys and outputs such as habitat models. It may also include other forms of data capture, such as historic maps, aerial photographs or satellite imagery. It would be useful to note here any ongoing survey programmes outside of the scheme itself that may be used to assess outcomes over the project lifecycle.

Key gaps

This section is primarily aimed at identifying the key gaps in information on the feature and environment but may also address other activities in the area as well as gaps to understanding a fuller view on the project risks and benefits. Key gaps should be addressed in the ‘Management, monitoring & evaluation’ section and any residual gaps should inform the uncertainty in outcomes.

Baseline monitoring

Most projects will require baseline surveys before undertaking the pilot study / trials and before scaling these up, depending on the level of existing information. As noted in the ‘Project Rationale’ section, baseline surveys provide critical information of the condition before enhancement takes place and inform the degree of success of the subsequent enhancement scheme. However a baseline survey is important to ensure the site is suitable for the target species / habitat, to help with assessing potential impacts on protected features and if it is appropriate to carry out the project in that location.

Baseline surveys should assess current feature characteristics, status and the environmental conditions at a site to find out if it is suitable for enhancement (answering some of the questions outlined above). Different features will require specific environmental conditions and assessments need to take account of both the biological and the wider ecological status of the site, e.g. monitoring light levels for seagrass, water levels for dune slack wetlands, water quality for shellfish and seagrass. This is also covered further in ‘Management, monitoring & evaluation’.

4. Regulation and management

All projects will need to carry out early engagement with regulators, and NatureScot are available for initial discussions. This will help map out the necessary license and permits required and allow timely progression of the project. Licenses and permits may be required in four categories: species, protected areas, activities and access.

Protected areas

A principal consideration in project proposals is whether the site falls within or in the vicinity of a protected area, e.g. Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (MPA), Special Protection Areas (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or a Ramsar site; or in an area that is governed by other legislation such as a local Byelaw. Often this will result in a need for a formal assessment to consider whether the enhancement project will impact on the conservation objectives of the site. This could be positive for the environment with potential enhancement of the protected area and future protection extended to the species / habitat; or negative, with a resultant loss or change in protected species / habitat extent or species composition.

The extent of the potential interaction will dictate the level of engagement required with regulators, e.g. the need for a license / consent / assessment, how to go about this and how work could be undertaken to avoid any negative effects.

If the project is capable of affecting the protected features of an SAC or SPA, a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) is required under the Conservation (Natural Habitats & c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended). If it is within a MPA then an assessment is required under Section 82, 83 or 95 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. A SSSI consent may be required if an SSSI could be affected. Table 3 below provides a summary of the protected area legislation and assessments.

[a] Note Ramsar sites in Scotland overlap with either SPAs or SACs and all are underpinned by SSSIs; are therefore protected under the relevant statutory regimes.

Activities

Across all areas of Scotland, certain activities will require a licence as summarised in Table 4 below. These will all need considering on a case by case basis as certain setups will exclude the need for a license, e.g. suspending oyster cages from existing infrastructure. Those licences listed under native oysters and seagrass would also be applicable to other marine species and habitats.

Landowner and access

In addition, permission to carry out activities will be required from the land / seabed owner which may include Crown Estate Scotland (CES), local council’s planning permission and private landowners. This will concern:

• Project site
• Access to site
• Donor site (if translocation)

A summary of permits, byelaws and licenses, both marine and terrestrial, is provided below in Table 5 for each feature. Those already presented in tables above are presented in lighter grey text.

5. Risks

Risks associated with the project include risks to the feature itself, impacts to the wider ecosystem and environment, the local community and businesses, as well as risks to the project itself, such as dependency on funding. All of these may affect the short-term or long-term success of the enhancement project. The proposal form provides an opportunity to lay out the initial risks and potential mitigation measures considered. Risks will need to be considered in relation to potential / presumed current and future threats in relation to climate change.

Biology and Ecology

Information on biological and ecological risks are provided in the following subsections below.

Biosecurity

One of the key biological risks with enhancement projects is biosecurity, i.e. the introduction and/or spread of harmful organisms. This will need examining in relation to both wild populations and to the fishing and aquaculture industry.

Whilst not required at the proposal stage, projects will ultimately need to demonstrate they have appropriate and rigorous biosecurity protocols in place before carrying out any work. We would expect that projects going ahead would develop a Biosecurity Measures Plan, which will require scaling up over time as the project develops. Overall, a precautionary approach is needed and it is recommended biosecurity measures are introduced even where no invasive non-native species or disease are thought to be present.

NatureScot also recommend the Check Clean Disinfect Dry procedure and can advise on a case by case basis, e.g. ways to reduce biosecurity risk may include local movement of species from adjacent sites.

Translocation

Biosecurity risk is particularly evident during translocation of both organisms and cultch. Due to the high degree of risk with translocation, the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations must be followed where this is relevant. The code provides detailed guidance and checklists on the range of risks and mitigation (see Further Information). In the first instance, risk may be reduced by ensuring the historical range of a species is maintained, avoiding high risk donor sites, e.g. with disease present, and using a nearby donor site within the same water body.

Further information on biological risk

• Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations (Guidance): National Species Reintroduction Forum (NSRF). 2014. The Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations. 
• Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations (form): National Species Reintroduction Forum (NSRF). 2014. Best Practice Guidelines for Conservation Translocations in Scotland Version 1.1. Scottish Natural Heritage.
• Marine biosecurity planning best practice: Cook, E.J., Payne, R.D. & Macleod, A. 2014. Marine biosecurity planning – Identification of best practice: A review. SNH Commissioned Report No. 748.
• Check Clean Dry Procedure: Scottish Invasive Species Initiative website: Biosecurity
• European Guidelines on Biosecurity in Native Oyster Restoration: zu Ermgassen, P.S.E., Gamble, C., Debney, A., Colsoul, B., Fabra, M., Sanderson, W.g. Strand, Å. & Preston, J. (eds), 2020a. European Guidelines on Biosecurity in Native Oyster Restoration. The Zoological Society of London, UK., London, UK.
• Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations: IUCN, 2013. Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations. Version 1.0. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN Species Survival Commission.
• Non-native Species - Code of Practice: Scottish Government (2012) Non-native species: code of practice. ISBN: 9781780459301.

Genetics

It is important that restoration practices maintain local or regional genetic diversity and adaptations of plants and animals. In all organisms, seeking techniques that maximise the genetic diversity in the offspring can enhance resilience to future change, e.g. high genetic diversity and Bonamiosis-resistance are important features of any sustainable restoration programme for shellfish, helping ensure ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, disease and climate change.

Wider ecosystem

Risks to the wider ecosystem include potential reduction or removal of established habitats and / or a shift in the ecosystem. This may be direct e.g. where a newly created habitat replaces what was there previously, or may be indirect, e.g. due to competition for resources between native oysters and blue mussels.

Climate change

The applicant will need to consider climate change resilience and potential adaption of the site in relation to current and future climate states. Considerations should range from sea-level rise, and increased terrestrial flooding, changes in air temperature and rainfall patterns, which in turn affect groundwater levels in wetlands, to sea temperature range changes, increased storminess and extreme weather events. However, these will depend on the local area’s vulnerabilities and will also be informed through recent climate change impacts at the site. For example, a site that historically contained a seagrass may no longer provide the ideal environment given increased storminess and sea level rise; or may become ideal conditions for an invasive species, e.g. Pacific Oysters. Further information on risks associated with climate change is provided in the section on general guidance.

Socio-economic

Potential or perceived risks to the local community’s livelihoods, leisure, health and wellbeing may result from a variety of impacts, including restricted access / interaction, change of land use, loss of other species and habitats or changes to the wider ecosystem, e.g. water quality, erosion control, pollination or nutrient cycling. Risk mitigation in such circumstances will require careful management of concerns, resistance, conflicts and incident management.

Management

Funding may pose a risk to the project in terms of reduced funds causing inadequate management and reduced attraction of future funding, or negative impacts resulting in remedial costs. Funding sources can also govern the design of a project to a certain extent. Consideration should be given to ensure that projects are adequately designed to not only secure funding but also ensure processes are in place to allow the correct and efficient progression, e.g. through aspects such as licensing.

Risk mitigation

As the project design develops, a risk mitigation strategy will be required, outlining actions that will be taken to reduce the risk of negative impacts occurring. This will require a monitoring plan to identify risks and remedial action if required. Such mitigation planning would also be useful at an early stage help address requirements in the licensing, consenting processes.

Further information on climate change

• Climate change and marine conservation: United Kingdom Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP). 2018. Climate change and marine conservation: Saltmarsh (Eds. Ladd C, Skov M, Lewis H and Leegwater E) MCCIP, Lowestoft,  8pp. Climate change and marine conservation: Seagrass (Eds. Dawson K, Kennedy H, Leegwater E and Brazier P) MCCIP, Lowestoft,  8pp.
• Looking ahead: planning for coastal change (Scotland): SNH (2019) Looking ahead: planning for coastal change, Using coastal change information to plan for development and infrastructure around the coast, Guidance. In partnership with the Scottish Government’s Dynamic Coast project.
• Coastal systems and low-lying areas (climate change): Wong, P.P., Losada, I.J., Gattuso, J.-P., Hinkel, J., Khattabi, A., McInnes, K.L., Saito, Y. & Sallenger, A. 2014. Coastal systems and low-lying areas. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Field, C.B., Barros, V.R., Dokken, D.J., Mach, K.J., Mastrandrea, M.D., Bilir, T.E., Chatterjee, M., Ebi, K.L., Estrada, Y.O., Genova, R.C., Girma, B., Kissel, E.S., Levy, A.N., MacCracken, S., Mastrandrea, P.R. & White, L.L. (eds.)). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, USA, pp. 361-409.

6. Benefits

The proposal form allows for an initial assessment of the potential benefits. This may include information and examples of biological benefits, ecosystem services, socio-economic benefits, cumulative benefits and nature-based solutions.

Biology

As per the primary enhancement objective, a local species / habitat benefit can include increasing the number of individuals, improving population structure and/or increasing the number or size of locations at which a species occurs. This may include establishing populations in areas where the species will experience reduced levels of threat (e.g. by moving organisms into more suitable ‘climate space’, disease-free areas, or localities with suitable management). It can also include improving the genetic health and resilience of a population by directly introducing genetic diversity and establishing ‘bridging populations’ to facilitate migration and / or gene flow.

A wider benefit beyond meeting the core project objectives may also include reducing a wider geographic risk to extinction as well as improving the conservation status of a threatened or endangered species.

Establishing Success

Success criteria

The success criteria will help determine how the scheme will measure performance and set targets. These must clearly express actions to deliver the goals and objectives of the scheme, taking into consideration evidence that will measure progress towards meeting defined objectives and ultimately determine the success or failure of the scheme. These should consider confidence in achieving the objectives to provide a best and worst case scenario.

Communication Plan

A communication plan will aid in the dissemination of information from the scheme to interested parties, e.g. land / site owner(s), public / local community and stakeholders. This can be achieved via various methods, including but not limited to press releases, social media, presentations, conferences, guided tours of facilities, displays and media (photography and video footage). The plan can document and share findings to support future strategies and projects.

Exit strategy

The decision to discontinue a project is considered defensible if the scheme design includes indicators of lack of success and the tolerable limits of their duration or if undesired and unacceptable consequences have occurred. This is particularly relevant to translocation schemes.

"In a changing world, the enhancement of our marine and coastal environment will help us build a more resilient, stable and sustainable world that benefits the natural world and the health and wellbeing of people today and for future generations."

Further information

For more information on general and feature specific guidance, see details below including weblinks where available.

General guidance

• National Review Innovative and Successful Coastal Habitats: Provides information on restoration research and the innovative and successful components of funding, partnerships, planning, restoration methodology, monitoring and adaptive management, dissemination of information and community involvement. Borde, A.B., O'Rourke, L.K., Thom, R.M., Williams, G.W. & Diefenderfer, H.L., 2004. National Review of Innovative and Successful Coastal Habitats. Technical Report, Battelle Memorial Institute, Duxbury, MA, USA.
• Nature Networks Evidence Handbook: Identifies the principles of network design and describes the evidence that underpins the desirable features of nature networks. Crick, H.Q.P., Crosher, I.E., Mainstone, C.P., Taylor S.D., Wharton, A., Langford, P., Larwood, J., Lusardi, J., Appleton, D., Brotherton, P.N.M., Duffield, S.J. & Macgregor N.A. 2020. Nature Networks Evidence Handbook. Natural England Research Report NERR081. Natural England, York.
• Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Provides a comprehensive assessment of the physical science basis of climate change. IPCC, 2013. Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (Stocker, T.F., Qin, D., Plattner, G.-K., Tignor, M., Allen, S.K., Boschung, J., Nauels, A., Xia, Y., Bex, V. and Midgley, P.M. (eds.)). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
• Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM): Guides assessment teams through the ROAM and how they can be combined and sequenced to suit different needs. IUCN & WRI, 2014. A guide to the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM): Assessing forest landscape restoration opportunities at the national or sub-national level. Working Paper (Road-test edition). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
• Marine habitat, enhancement, recovery, restoration and creation: Clarifies how NatureScot applies the various definitions for actions associated with marine habitat enhancement; and sets the scene for future research and casework. NatureScot. 2021. Information Note - Marine habitat, enhancement, recovery, restoration and creation.
• Land Reform: Provides information on land access rights. Scottish Government. 2003. Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Acts of the Scottish Parliament.

Native oyster guidance

NatureScot and Marine Scotland are developing Scotland specific native oyster guidance, which will aim to provide advice to would-be applicants and ongoing schemes already in development, including both specific on-site guidance as well as wider geographic considerations such as the collection of broodstock for hatcheries. The current key guidance documents of relevance to enhancement in Scotland are listed below, whilst Chambers et al. (2022) provides a full review of further guidance.

• Oyster habitat restoration monitoring and assessment handbook (USA): Recommendations for a set of Universal Metrics that should be monitored for restoration projects and guidelines for assessing optional Restoration Goal-based Metrics. Baggett, L.P., Powers, S.P., Brumbaugh, R., Coen, L.D., DeAngelis, B., Greene, J., Hancock, B. and Morlock, S., 2014. Oyster habitat restoration monitoring and assessment handbook. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, USA.
• Restoration Guidelines for Shellfish Reefs (USA): Provides guidance in decision-making for restoration projects and examples of different approaches undertaken by experienced practitioners. Fitzsimons, J., Branigan, S., Brumbaugh, R.D., McDonald, T. & zu Ermgassen, P.S.E. (eds) 2019. Restoration Guidelines for Shellfish Reefs. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington VA, USA.
• European Native Oyster Habitat Restoration Handbook: Provided information on restoration including current methods, biosecurity recommendations, and how to effectively communicate outcomes. Preston J., Gamble, C., Debney, A., Helmer, L., Hancock, B. & zu Ermgassen, P.S.E. (eds) 2020. European Native Oyster Habitat Restoration Handbook. The Zoological Society of London, London, UK.
• European Guidelines on Biosecurity in Native Oyster Restoration: Presents biosecurity guidelines for conservation and restoration of native oyster habitat in Europe, based on current knowledge and experiences. zu Ermgassen, P.S.E., Gamble, C., Debney, A., Colsoul, B., Fabra, M., Sanderson, W.G. Strand, Å. & Preston, J. (eds), 2020a. European Guidelines on Biosecurity in Native Oyster Restoration. The Zoological Society of London, London, UK.

Seagrass guidance

NatureScot have developed a Scotland seagrass restoration handbook and guidance document in collaboration with Marine Scotland and Project Seagrass. To ensure projects are evidence-led this document provides background information, regulatory considerations and monitoring / research guidance. The project report (Chambers et al., 2022) associated with this guidance document provides a substantial amount of further guidance on seagrass enhancement and experience from case studies. The current key guidance documents of relevance to enhancement in Scotland are listed below.

• Seagrass Restoration in Scotland: Provides an evidence-led approach to guide seagrass restoration proposals in Scotland. NatureScot. 2021. Seagrass Restoration in Scotland - Handbook and Guidance.
• Seagrass Restoration in UK and Ireland: Practical guidance on restoring and creating seagrass habitat. Gamble C., Debney, A., Glover, A., Bertelli, C., Green, B., Hendy, I., Lilley, R., Nuuttila, H., Potouroglou, M., Ragazzola, F., Unsworth, R. and Preston, J, (eds) 2021. Seagrass Restoration Handbook. Zoological Society of London, UK., London, UK
• Handbook for eelgrass restoration in Sweden: Provides detailed guideline to eelgrass restoration including site evaluation and selection, consultation and permitting, harvesting and planting, to monitoring and evaluation of results. Moksnes, P-O., Gipperth, L., Eriander, L., Laas, K., Cole, S. & Infantes, E., 2021. Handbook for eelgrass restoration in Sweden - National guideline. Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management Technical Report, Report number 2021, 5, 111.
• Management and restoration of eelgrass in Sweden: Addresses ecological, legal and economic aspects of management and restoration of eelgrass in Sweden. Moksnes, P-O., Gipperth, L., Eriander, L., Laas, K., Cole, S. & Infantes, E., 2016. Management and restoration of eelgrass in Sweden

Saltmarsh guidance

The UK & Ireland Saltmarsh Restoration Handbook is currently in preparation and will be published in 2021 and will describe all types of saltmarsh restoration techniques, provide guidance on target setting, success criteria, project timelines, licencing and policy considerations and post-development monitoring. The project report associated with this guidance document (Chambers et al., 2022) provides a substantial amount of further guidance on saltmarsh enhancement and experience from case studies. The current key guidance documents of relevance to enhancement in Scotland are listed below.

• Saltmarsh restoration in the UK and Ireland: Practical guidance on restoring and creating saltmarsh habitat. Hudson, R., Kenworthy, J. and Best, M. (eds) (2021). Saltmarsh Restoration Handbook: UK and Ireland. Environment Agency, Bristol, UK.
• Saltmarsh Management Manual (England and Wales): Detailed guidance on how saltmarsh condition should be established and the process for developing the most appropriate programmes for management based on site-specific factors. Defra and Environment Agency, 2007. Saltmarsh Management Manual. Joint Defra / Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management R&D Programme. R&D Technical Report SC030220.
• Salt Marsh Restoration and Monitoring Guidelines: Guide restoration projects and identify and address common shortcomings noted in previous restoration projects. Niedowski, N.L., 2000. Salt Marsh Restoration and Monitoring Guidelines. NOAA Coastal Services Centre, Charleston, SC, USA, 187pp.