This report sets out guiding principles to inform the development of regional assessment process, the first step of regional marine planning in Scotland.
Questions this practice may help answer
- How is data collected to inform marine spatial planning?
- What quality considerations are appropriate to consider in the collation of data for MSP?
- How are spatial tools used in supporting marine planning in Scotland?
Implementation Context
The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 requires an assessment of the condition of the marine area (region or national) at the time of the plan’s preparation and a summary of the significant pressures and the impact of human activity on the area. ‘Scotland’s Marine Atlas: Information for the national marine plan’ supports the 1st draft National Marine Plan (NMP) with its overall assessment. Regional assessment builds on this data collated to inform the NMP.
Aspects / Objectives
The report sets out some principles to support the gathering and interpretation of data to inform the regional assessment process.
Method
The principles were developed by Scottish Government, in conjunction with an advisory group including statutory advisors, the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology in Scotland (MASTS) and regional marine planners from Clyde and Shetland.
Main Outputs / Results
December 2014, full report can be accessed here: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/seamanagement/national/principles
The key principles identified refer to:
- Maximise efficiency and minimising duplication of effort
- Consistency and inter-operability
- Accessibility
- Data quality control
- Data gaps and monitoring
- Stakeholder engagement
Transferability
The report is specific to Scotland however there may be interest in the way that data is used to inform marine planning.
Responsible Entity
Scottish Government.
Costs / Funding Source
The practice was elaborated by the Scottish government however the costs of its elaboration are unknown.