MPAs doubled to tackle Scotland’s sealife declines
Scotland’s environmental charities have welcomed today’s decision by the Scottish Government to more than double the size of an emerging network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In a bold move, Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead gave the go-ahead for 30 new MPAs to protect a further 12% of Scotland’s seas, as well as paving the way for urgent new measures to protect struggling populations of seabirds, whales and dolphins.
Members of Scottish Environment LINK’s marine taskforce have campaigned for stronger protection of Scotland’s sealife for over a decade and last year over 14,000 people backed proposals for new MPAs Continue reading »
Save Scottish Seas
2014 could prove to be a turning point in the history of Scotland’s seas. The Scottish Government has recently (2013) consulted on plans for a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Scotland’s seas are world-class; home to amazingly diverse sealife, but they are in decline. Out-of-sight and out-of-mind for years, our marine environment has suffered from a history of unsustainable use. Now MPAs can help our seas to recover.
For the sake of our environment and economy, Scotland needs these MPAs to be implemented in the right way. They cannot be meaningless paper parks; Scotland’s Marine Atlas shows all too clearly why the status quo is not an option. Our campaign is urging the Scottish Government to put in place a network that will actively recover the habitats and species that make our seas so special. It is a historic opportunity to turn around the declining health of our seas and to protect them for future generations.
Find out why we support 29 Marine Protected Areas.
Protect
Scotland’s seas are home to some truly incredible species and habitats. We want to keep it that way. Find out why our seas need greater protection and how that can be achieved.
Connect
The life in our seas is fundamentally interconnected by water and the ecosystem processes. Marine protection is meaningless if planning does not account for the fundamental linkages between species and habitats in our seas.
Recover
Decades of unsustainable activity has resulted in serious damage to areas of Scotland’s seas. These areas are now in desperate need of recovery. Find out the true state of Scotland’s seas and why we need to restore them to a condition we can all be proud of.
