NatureScot Commissioned Report 432: Characterising Scotland's marine environment to define search locations for new Marine Protected Areas. Part 2: The identification of key geodiversity areas in Scottish waters

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 include new powers for Scottish Ministers to designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the seas around Scotland as part of a range of measures to manage and protect Scotland’s seas for current and future generations. Work to identify these MPAs is coordinated through the Scottish MPA Project, a joint project between Marine Scotland, NatureScot, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Historic Scotland. NatureScot and JNCC submitted formal advice to Scottish Ministers on the identification of Nature Conservation MPAs in Scotland’s seas in December 2012.

This report, which updates earlier interim versions CR430 and CR431, outlines the scientific framework and supporting justification used to identify features and important areas for marine geodiversity in Scottish waters. The results of the work helped inform the inclusion of proposed geodiversity protected features in the suite of possible MPAs which are currently the subject of a formal consultation process being run by the Scottish Government.

Pages: 209
Published: 2013

NatureScot Commissioned Report 432