Biodiversity | the variety (within and between species) of living things from all sources (terrestrial, marine, aquatic) |
CFP | Common Fisheries Policy |
DCMS | Department for Culture Media and Sport |
Defra | Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs |
Devolved/ reserved mix | the spilt between those rights and responsibilities which, by way of Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998, reserved to the UK Government/Parliament and those which are devolved to the Scottish Executive/Parliament |
Ecosystem | structure, process, functions and interaction among organisms, including humans, and their environment |
Ecosystem Based Approach - | the integrated management of human activities based on knowledge of ecosystem dynamics to achieve sustainable use of ecosystem goods and services and maintenance of ecosystem integrity |
Eutrophication | excessive nutrients causing accelerated growth of algae and an undesirable disturbance in the balance of organisms normally present |
FEPA | part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (deposits in the sea) |
ICES | International Council for the Exploration of the Sea |
ICZM | Integrated Coastal Zone Management - a process for bringing together all those involved in the development, management and use of the coast to achieve sustainable development at local level |
Marine spatial planning | a system for establishing strategic plans to regulate activity in, and protect, the marine environment |
Natura sites | EU-wide network of nature conservation sites ( SAC and SPA) to be established under the EC Habitats and Birds Directives |
NGOs | Non Governmental Organisations |
ODPM | Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the UK Government |
Polluter pays principle | principle under which the polluter should pay for any environmental damage created |
Precautionary principle | principle under which, where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost effective measures to prevent environmental degradation |
Priority species | species identified for priority conservation action as part of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan |
SAC | Special Areas for Conservation under EC Directive 79/409/EEC on the Conservation of Wild Birds |
Scottish Biodiversity | a broad-based Scottish partnership of Government, its agencies, local authorities, voluntary bodies and others working for the |
Forum | future of biodiversity in Scotland |
Scottish Coastal Forum | a national group set up to provide a focus for discussion of coastal issues in Scotland and to offer advice to Government |
SEA | strategic environmental assessment |
SEPA | Scottish Environment Protection Agency |
SNH | Scottish Natural Heritage |
SPA | Special Protection Areas under EC Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Flora and Fauna |
SSMEI | Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative - a Scottish Executive initiative aimed at piloting new ways of managing the use of coastal and marine resources |
Sustainable Development | development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The concept embraces all economic activity, including the use of natural resources |
WFD | the EC Water Framework Directive |