8 SCIENCE AND DATA
Introduction
8.1 Chapter 5 of the Sustainable Seas for All consultation document outlines how the Scottish Marine Bill process and the development of Marine Scotland offer an opportunity to create the appropriate frameworks and linkages to deliver better understanding of the seas. Where relevant a key aim of legislation will be to create the right conditions and framework to foster the development of scientific capacity and expand scientific understanding of the seas.
8.2 The consultation document raises the issue that whilst complete certainty is not achievable there is a need to bridge the gap between informed and uninformed decision-making in a more uniform and productive way. There seems a need for both more science, perhaps more focused science, and a mechanism to agree what science is actually telling us.
8.3 Marine Science Scotland will provide a framework for greater co-ordination within the academic community, but there is also the gap between that community and the wider stakeholders and policy makers to bridge. In addition, there will be a need to make data and science available to the regional level of Marine Scotland.
8.4 The need for more focused research effort and stakeholder input suggest the need to develop a marine science strategy. A marine science strategy could provide a mechanism for directing scientific effort into areas of importance and focusing research effort as well as offering a channel for all stakeholders to make an input into the scale and direction of marine science in Scotland. A further purpose of the science strategy would be to co-ordinate science and industry involvement with a view to providing more coherent data capture and storage. There is a range of possible bodies that might have responsibility for the marine science strategy, Marine Scotland is one but there are other options.
Question 44: Do you agree that Scottish Ministers should develop a marine science strategy to focus marine scientific effort integrate socio-economic considerations and to create a framework for wider stakeholder input?
8.5 This question was answered by 151 respondents. Of these, 127 (84%) respondents agreed with the proposals, whilst 8 (5%) did not agree.
8.6 The most frequently occurring qualifiers to agreement are summarised in the following paragraphs. It should be noted that some respondents identified multiple qualifiers to agreement.
8.7 The need for scientific analysis with data being shared between stakeholders was raised by 39 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A university commented: "Yes, a marine science strategy is of utmost importance to provide a focus to the protection of the marine environment, bring together key players in this area and integrate the different fields, such as science, social and economic fields."
8.8 The issue of good data being essential was raised by 35 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. An association commented: "It is essential the Scottish Government develops a properly co-ordinated marine science strategy initially to attract as much basic raw data as possible for scientific analysis and assessment. The greater the data the greater will be the ability of the assessments to then form the core of sensible, socio economic policies for the management of the marine environment."
8.9 Concerns over the emphasis placed on socio-economic issues was raised by 18 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. The largest area of interest was nature conservation with 8 respondents. A nature conservation group commented: "We agree with this approach, provided marine conservation and animal welfare are given equal priority with socio-economic considerations."
8.10 The need for a long-term funding commitment was raised by 14 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A commercial organisation commented: "While we would support the proposed development of a marine science strategy, it must be acknowledged that significant financial resources will be required if expectations are to be met."
Question 45: Do you have views on how to integrate scientific evidence with stakeholder and local knowledge?
8.11 This question was answered by 118 respondents.
8.12 The need for local data and knowledge to be incorporated was raised by 55 respondents, 10 who had nature conservation and 6 who had academic and scientific as their main areas of interest. A local authority commented: "Given that local communities quite often have the solutions to problems, it is important that stakeholder and local knowledge is captured and used along with scientific evidence. Local Coastal Partnerships ( LCPs) have a close link with local communities and stakeholders, therefore, LCPs may be the link to integrate this local knowledge with science."
8.13 The need for a two-way process of communication with stakeholders was raised by 40 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. An academic institution commented: "Marine Scotland and Marine Science Scotland need to develop effective methods of communication. This needs to be two-way and probably needs to operate through a variety of mechanisms including stakeholder forums, targeted literature and liaison officers (this has worked well to deal with seal-salmon conflicts). Employing individuals from the stakeholder communities in the liaison roles, after appropriate training, may be most effective, and it may require offering scholarships or courses to deliver training."
8.14 The need for data standards to facilitate data sharing was raised by 21 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A marine organisation commented: "It is extremely important to ensure that the various data sets that are/will be gathered by the various public bodies and agencies UK wide are freely available and not restricted by fee structures. There are many examples of large amounts of data that are not available unless at a high price and this restricts the ability to develop well founded local marine plans. The aquaculture industry would be more than willing to make available any data it gathers whilst monitoring its activities in the Marine environment."
8.15 The need for decisions to be evidence based to provide quality assurance was raised by 21 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. An academic organisation commented: "Decisions need to be is evidence based and information from stakeholders needs to be transformed into an evidence based structure."
8.16 The need for all relevant bodies to be represented was raised by 18 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A public sector body commented: "There is a need to ensure a flow of data to Marine Scotland from all industries and in the short-term especially from the oil and gas and the fishing industries. Efforts to collect, pool, assess and evaluate this information should begin as soon as possible, perhaps through organisations such as SNH, SEPA and FRS. The overall responsibility should be passed to Marine Scotland once it is established. A licence condition might in the future be that businesses should share any data collected that can be used for developing and sustaining the marine environment."
Question 46: What do you think are areas for potential priorities for further work?
8.17 This question was answered by 107 respondents.
8.18 The need for seabed mapping was raised by 60 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A scientific organisation commented: "The need for a detailed seabed survey based on multi-beam is of paramount importance. Combined with other data it provides the basis of multidisciplinary understanding of the marine environment, both for conservation and resources."
8.19 The need to understand what data already exist, develop a register of information and identify gaps was raised by 38 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A scientific organisation commented: "There is abundant data already collected, by SEPA and other regulatory bodies, which could be used to re-examine and possibly update existing legislative controls. Thorough and sound scientific scrutiny of the data already provided from sampling around aquaculture developments would encourage a better understanding of the potential impacts, recovery and sustainability of the industry."
8.20 In addition, the following issues were raised:
- Protection of the seas and a cessation of activities that damage the sea - 14 respondents
- Data were felt to be essential to inform marine planning - 13 respondents
- A greater need for socio-economic studies to understand costs and benefits - 12 respondents
Question 47: Scottish Ministers propose that the strategic role for the monitoring and assessment of Scotland's seas lies with Marine Scotland, do you agree?
8.21 This question was answered by 127 respondents. Of these, 111 (87%) respondents agreed with the proposals, whilst 3 (2%) did not agree.
8.22 The need for accountability, involving monitoring and assessment and, potentially, an ombudsman was raised by 23 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A maritime organisation commented: "Again, in line with our earlier comments, we believe that Marine Scotland should have the strategic role for the monitoring and assessment of Scotland's seas on the basis that it makes sense to concentrate funding and expertise within one organisation."
8.23 The need for Marine Scotland to align with the UK was raised by 17 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. The largest area of interest was nature conservation with 6 respondents. A nature conservation organisation commented: "Yes, if Marine Scotland functions effectively and does not work in isolation of other relevant bodies from within Scotland and the rest of UK."
8.24 The need to extend the remit of existing bodies and providers with Marine Scotland taking a more strategic role was raised by 14 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A nature conservation group commented: "The strategic role for monitoring and assessment should lie with a central body e.g. Marine Scotland, with work packages farmed out to different organisations under thematic, peer-reviewed headings. Basic data gathering should be as long term as possible and not subject to short term grant programmes."
Question 48: Scottish Ministers propose to instruct Marine Scotland to take forward the development of a GIS as a matter of priority. Do you agree?
8.25 This question was answered by 133 respondents. Of these, 115 (87%) respondents agreed with the proposals, whilst 5 (4%) did not agree.
8.26 The view that Geographical Information Systems ( GIS) are the right tool for job and is therefore essential was raised by 35 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A recreation/tourism organisation commented: " GIS is a powerful tool which supports monitoring, assessment and planning operations and thus would be valuable as a matter of priority. A distinction should be made between a GIS system which establishes a baseline; and measures to maintain the GIS in a fluid, ever changing environment demanding a constant flow of data refreshment and re-evaluation. There are cost implications in this."
8.27 The need for new systems to align with existing systems was raised by 32 respondents, broadly distributed across the main areas of interest. A maritime organisation commented: "We agree, however this is a costly and time consuming exercise and the use of existing data from other organisations and bodies should be given priority."
8.28 The provision of cost effective ways for collection, sharing and accessing data was raised by 22 respondents. This view was expressed by respondents across a number of areas of interest. A forum commented: "The marine GIS should bring together all the data and information used by Marine Scotland in developing marine plans and making planning decisions. This marine GIS should enable the efficient and effective storage of spatial data and the ability for it to be used effectively for diagnosis, planning, and decision making. It will also improve the consistency and quality of the decision made. The marine GIS should be made freely available to all. It will provide developers with the initial constraints information to enable them to identify areas where developments could take place, streamline the consultation and decision making process, as inappropriate areas can be scoped out early."
Summary
- There was a high level of support for the proposal that Scottish Ministers should develop a marine science strategy to focus marine scientific effort, integrate socio-economic considerations and create a framework for wider stakeholder input.
- There was a high level of support for the proposal that the strategic role for the monitoring and assessment of Scotland's seas lies with Marine Scotland. However, the need for accountability, involving monitoring, assessment and, potentially, an ombudsman, was raised by some respondents.