Dr Bill Wilson, an SNP MSP for the West of Scotland and member of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, has had his amendment to the Marine (Scotland) Bill, calling for the establishment of a representative network of conservation sites, which would include Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas, approved.

He commented today, “I am delighted that the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee has accepted my proposed amendment, which implies that it is not sufficient to conserve the odd fragment of our seas here and there.  Conservation cannot be effective if a large-scale holistic approach is not taken, and now this will be mandatory.

“The Scottish Government will have a duty to define a protected representative network of marine sites, which will contribute to the conservation or improvement of the marine environment in the whole UK marine area.

“I thank the many people who wrote to me calling for there to be a duty on Scottish Ministers to create an ecologically-coherent network of Marine Protected Areas.  No doubt they will be as pleased as I am that this amendment has now been adopted by the committee.  This is surely in everyone’s long-term interest.”

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Full text of approved amendment

Bill Wilson

Supported by: Peter Peacock, Elaine Murray

109 After section 68, insert—

<Duties relating to network

Creation of network of conservation sites
(1) In order to contribute to the achievement of the objective in subsection (2), the Scottish Ministers must designate areas as Nature Conservation MPAs under section 58.

(2) The objective is that the areas designated as Nature Conservation MPAs by the Scottish Ministers, taken together with any areas designated as marine conservation zones under section 116 of the 2009 Act and any relevant conservation sites in the UK marine area, form a network which satisfies the conditions in subsection (3).

(3) The conditions are—
(a) that the network contributes to the conservation or improvement of the marine environment in the UK marine area,
(b) that the features which are protected by the sites comprised in the network represent the range of features present in the UK marine area,

(c) that the designation of sites comprised in the network reflects the fact that the conservation of a feature may require the designation of more than one site.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (2), the following are “relevant conservation sites”—
(a) any European marine site,
(b) any European offshore marine site,
(b) the whole or part of any site of special scientific interest,
(c) the whole or part of any Ramsar site.
(5) When complying with the duty imposed by subsection (1), the Scottish Ministers must have regard to any obligations under EU or international law that relate to the conservation or improvement of the marine environment.

(6) Before the end of the period of 2 months beginning with the date on which this section comes into force, the Scottish Ministers must—

(a) prepare a statement setting out such principles relating to the achievement of the objective in subsection (2) as the Scottish Ministers intend to follow when complying with the duty imposed by subsection (1), and

(b) lay a copy of the statement before the Parliament.
(7) A statement prepared by the Scottish Ministers under this section may also set out other matters relating to the achievement of that objective which they intend to take into account when complying with the duty imposed by subsection (1).

(8) The Scottish Ministers must—
(a) keep under review any statement they have prepared under this section, and,
(b) if they consider it appropriate in consequence of a review, prepare a revised statement of the principles referred to in subsection (6)(a) and lay a copy of it before the Parliament.

(9) In this section—
“European offshore marine site” means any site within the meaning of the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/1842),

“feature” means—
(a) marine flora or fauna,
(b) marine habitats or types of such habitat,
(c) features of geological or geomorphological interest,

“Ramsar site” has the same meaning as in section 37A of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (c.69),
“site of special scientific interest” includes a site within the meaning of Part 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.>

Contact

Dr Bill Wilson MSP
Tel +44 (0) 782 459 6994 / 131 348 6805 / 141 840 2772
Fax +44 (0) 131 348 6806 / 141 889 4693
E-mail Bill.Wilson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Website www.billwilsonmsp.org

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