1: Introduction
This document provides a non-technical summary of the results of the Strategic Environmental Assessment ( SEA) of the Scottish Government's proposed Scottish Marine Bill as set out in the consultation document Sustainable Seas for All: A Consultation on Scotland's First Marine Bill. The detailed results are presented in the Environmental Report ( ER) which can be found at www.scotland.gsi.gov.uk).
Overview of the Scottish Marine Bill
The Scottish Marine Bill consultation document has been prepared in response to calls from environmental organisations, regulatory authorities, developers, NGOs community groups, and recommendations by the Rural Development Committee and the Advisory Group on Marine and Coastal Strategy ( AGMACS) for improved and more sustainable management of human activities within the marine environment and increased protection of Scotland's marine natural heritage.
This will be achieved through the introduction of a Scottish Marine Bill which will create a new framework for marine conservation and protection and the sustainable management of human activity within the marine and coastal environment. This framework will be delivered through five key policy areas:
- Creating Stability: Marine Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone
- Management
- Reducing the Burden: Licensing and Enforcement
- Securing the Future: Nature Conservation
- Understanding our Seas: Science and Data
- Managing our Seas: Marine Scotland
The Scottish Marine Bill will also provide the means by which the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive ( MSFD), which was adopted on 17 th June 2008, can be transposed into domestic legislation. This will be achieved by establishing a legislative framework that will support the Scottish Government in 'taking the necessary measures to achieve or maintain good environmental status of the marine environment by 2020 at the latest'.
Figure A: Sustainable Seas for All Document Front Cover
