Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2000
Commendation for development planning
18. MANAGEMENT SCHEME FOR LOCH NAM MADADH EUROPEAN MARINE SITE
nominated in 2000 by European and Development Services, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council).
This management scheme - one of the first in Scotland - sets in motion a local process for addressing European marine conservation requirements, under the Habitats Directive. Established under a European LIFE funded pilot study, the management scheme provides the detail, structure and agreements necessary to manage Loch nam Madadh European Marine Site and in addition, offers an approach which could be replicated throughout the Western Isles or transposed into best practice guidance for a wider European audience. The project officer responsible for facilitating production of the management scheme worked as an integral part of the planning service.
Habitats Directive European Marine Sites are the generic term for marine habitats or species selected as Special Areas of Conservation or Special Protection Areas under the Habitats or Birds Directives, respectively. Loch nam Madadh is a candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and though awaiting designation, requires the same legal protection as if it were already designated. Noted as one of the best examples in Europe for its conservation features - lagoons and large shallow inlets and bay - Loch nam Madadh also supports a diverse and active human population. The loch has active shellfish fisheries, salmon farms, offers shelter and harbours for shipping and has supported (in very recent history) a seaweed harvesting industry. The brackish areas of the marine site are notable for their sport fishery and the land surrounding the loch has a long tradition of crofting tenure. The development of the scheme with community and/or user involvement. The management scheme has taken little over 2 years to develop and has evolved from merely being a tool to aid compliance with the Directive to become a model for co-operation between stakeholders and regulatory authorities. All users of the sea area have been given an opportunity to participate in the development of the scheme and their feedback was instrumental in shaping the management scheme. Management of the marine environment in Scotland is a very complex procedure given that little is known about its ecology (mainly because of the difficulty of accessing it) and that at least 14 different authorities have regulatory and management responsibilities. The legacy and lessons of terrestrial planning offer little guidance to the would-be marine planner so some of issue-specific contacts and working partnerships are entirely new. Some of the best examples of marine conservation, around the world, are founded on a voluntary approach where the users of the sea area have vested interests in the resource and are therefore willing to establish voluntary codes of conduct to collectively protect their asset. However, as experienced in Loch nam Madadh, the impetus for management was from a European Directive, which required management of a conservation resource, only perhaps perceivable from a European or administrator's perspective. It was therefore a prime activity in establishing the management scheme to develop the image of a conservation asset, whose management could then be pursued through the genuine interest and involvement of the stakeholders of the loch.
Throughout the rural areas of Scotland, the designation of conservation areas have led to many bitter conflicts between environmentalists and resource users. In Loch nam Madadh however, the process adopted for establishing the marine site has succeeded in demonstrating that the old model of conflict is no longer a necessary rite-of-passage. Difficult issues have been tackled and resolved. Workshops to explore the extent of the stakeholder's and authorities' marine knowledge helped to develop a better understanding and working relationship between the regulators and the regulated. Consequently, many of the authorities and stakeholders have expressed a much clearer understanding of the divisions of responsibility for managing the sea and this has encouraged more collaborate problem solving, in particular where there is a shortfall in the legal controls. Stakeholder aspirations were recorded early in the proceedings and where possible, have been incorporated into statements of management action. The need for sustainable development within the island community has been an ever present aspiration for many of the stakeholders and authorities alike, and as a result marketing and economic opportunities for those involved with the European Marine Site has been explored. These have included a study into a "grown/caught in a conservation area" label, the establishment of a website, production of an underwater video and tourist information.
Partnership Based on an initial partnership between Comhairle nam Eilean Sir and Scottish Natural Heritage, the development of the Loch nam Madadh management scheme enlisted a further 12 authorities as well as the fundamental involvement and support of the local community. These authorities and 4 representatives of community interests now form what is known as the Loch nam Madadh European Marine Site Management Group and it has an innovative operational structure and function. The Management Group currently includes: Comhairle nam Eilean Siar (Development Control, Environmental Health, Economic Development, Harbour Authority, Forward Planning), Crofters Commission, Western Isles District Salmon Fishery Board, Forestry Commission, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, North of Scotland Water Authority, Scottish Executive Development Department - Transport Group, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department (Agriculture Group, Fisheries Research Services, Inshore Branch, Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency), Scottish Natural Heritage, The Crown Estate, The Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, Western Isles Enterprise, North Uist Community Council, Western Isles Fisherman's Association, Scottish Crofters Union (North Uist Branch) and a Representative of the Fish Farming Authority.
Management Structure and Action From the various workshops, correspondence and discussions, an action plan for the loch has been derived which identifies the human activity to be managed, the action possible under existing legislation, any voluntary agreements or initiatives and the authorities and representatives of community interests who are to be involved in these specific management actions. Having no new powers the authorities are tasked with re-assessing their traditional roles in order to safeguard the conservation features. In this task they have been assisted by considerable local information from the stakeholders. To ensure that the management of the SAC remains transparent and locally informed an annual public meeting is to be held at which members of the management group will report on their activities and then listen to any comments or concerns of the general public. This meeting will be called the Loch nam Madadh European Marine Site Forum. Opportunity for discussion will be given and the "Recommendation of the Forum" will be recorded and then passed to the Management Group, who will give full consideration to these recommendations on their annual review of the management action plan. In the spirit of partnership the responsibility for organising and reporting on Forums and Management Group meetings will rotate around the Management Group members who have the administrative ability and currently SFPA, SNH and CnES will act in this capacity.
Wider benefits and the future: The development of the management scheme has in itself been a crucial step towards encouraging better understanding of the local marine environment. As an offshoot of this process a local group is investigating the development of a marine centre, which will not only continue to raise awareness about the marine environment and in particular the SAC, but also conduct scientific research on behalf of the users of the sea, focused specifically on how best to manage and benefit from their resource. Under the current agreement between management group members, the management scheme will be reviewed on an annual basis and it is hoped that in the future other marine SACs within the Western Isles can become the business of the management group, which of course would require to change its name and enrol extra local representation.
The judges asked for a presentation on this nomination. They wanted to learn more of how the delicate balance between international recognition and local needs, between science and practice, is worked out with stakeholders in an initiative of this kind. The marine management scheme for Loch nam Madadh is a pioneering initiative will yield lessons and experience which can be applied elsewhere in the Western Isles. It has developed understanding of the marine resource and applied this in ways which explore sustainable local production and tourism opportunities. The judges warmly congratulate all those involved in this project. They recommend it for commendation in this category.