Marine planning for nature

A healthy ocean plays a crucial role in addressing many of challenges we face – from reducing climate change impacts, to reversing nature’s decline, to food and energy security. However Wales’ marine environment is under pressure from a range of impacts, and we must take steps to protect and enhance it. With new pressures being added, and with Welsh Government having to deliver on a range of environmental commitments, marine spatial planning must play a key role in advancing marine protection, recovery, restoration and enhancement.Welsh waters contain a wide range of habitats, benthic invertebrates, fish, extensive algal communities, and important populations of marine mammals and birds. 69% of inshore waters are designated as part of the network of 139 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These ecosystems have the potential to support and deliver a range of benefits and services, such as aquaculture and fishing; renewable energy; carbon sequestration; natural flood defence; tourism; and health and well-being opportunities.However, Wales’ marine environment is suffering from a growing range of pressures including some human activities, climate change, pollution and non-native species. This can be seen through a range of indicators, such as MPA assessments, water quality monitoring, and species monitoring. For example, in 2018 Natural Resources Wales (NRW) published indicative feature condition assessments for European Marine Sites (SACs and SPAs) which showed that 54% of features are in unfavourable or unknown condition.Much of marine management focuses on pressure management and removal. Marine planning is central to this. The publication of the Welsh National Marine Plan in 2019 was a significant step, and meant that decisions relating to the marine environment had to take the bigger picture into account. However since its publication, an increased interest in offshore renewable energy in particular has brought into focus the need to manage activities in an increasingly busy sea.Following a Ministerial announcement in 2022 , Welsh Government are currently exploring ways in which to take marine planning forwards. It is crucial that the marine planning framework in Wales develops in a way which drives the protection, recovery, restoration and enhancement of the marine environment, and ensures that all human activities operate within environmental limits.Welsh Government has a growing range of commitments and targets to fulfil in relation to delivering an ecosystem-based approach to managing the marine environment. However more work is needed to explore how marine planning can assist in their delivery. These include:• The duty to take measures to achieve the good environmental status of marine waters as set out in the Marine Strategy Regulations (2010);• The 30x30 target agreed as part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and which is also a focus of the Welsh Government’s Biodiversity Deep Dive;• The responsibility for Marine Protected Area management and designation of an ecologically-coherent network as set out in the Marine and Coastal Access Act, Section 123 (2009);• Fisheries objectives under the UK Fisheries Act (2020);• Forthcoming biodiversity targets as proposed in the Environmental Principles, Governance and Biodiversity targets for a Greener Wales White Paper.The Marine Conservation Society is commissioning an external consultant or consultancy to produce a technical report , containing recommendations on how marine planning in Wales can be developed in order to best protect, recover, restore and enhance the marine environment, and support the delivery of environmental commitments and targets.This contract should be delivered by the end of September 2024.