The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-11441, in the name of Rhoda Grant, on Scottish local coastal partnerships. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes that it is 21 years since the Focus on Firths initiative was established; understands that this led to the establishment of local coastal partnerships (LCPs) in order to take forward the Rio Earth Summit’s call for the better management of coastlines and seas; celebrates what it sees as the important work of the LCPs in the Highlands and Islands and around the country in raising awareness of issues with regard to coastlines and inshore waters and in delivering projects and research based on local needs; notes that LCPs promote an interest in marine and coastal habitats and what it considers their amazing diversity of species; understands that they work with communities to encourage them to appreciate the maritime environment and to act as custodians of this by supporting initiatives such as litter management schemes and beach cleans; believes that they bring stakeholders together with the common purpose of sustainable development by brokering agreements between different sectoral interests and promoting an ecosystem approach, and appreciates what it sees as the very considerable experience and expertise that the LCPs have built up, which it considers will make an invaluable contribution to the setting up of the regional marine planning partnerships set out in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.
17:37
In Scotland, we are privileged to live in a country with a magnificent and varied coastline. We have mountains sweeping down to the sea, spectacular cliffs, rocky headlands, beaches of silver and golden sands, salt marshes, estuaries and machair that are filled with wildlife and hundreds of harbours, big and small. Our coastal waters provide a living for our inshore fishermen and for our boat operators who offer marine wildlife tours to view whales, dolphins, basking sharks, seals and seabirds.
Sailing our coast are international yachtsmen and women, weekend sailors, canoeists and cruise liners. There are lifeline ferries and cargo ships, oil industry supply vessels, tankers and oil rigs that come in for maintenance. We have offshore wind turbines and we hope soon to have wave and tidal energy devices.
All of them use our ports, harbours and coastal waters. It is easy to see how our coast and inshore waters can come under pressure, how there can be conflicts of interest between users, how marine and coastal wildlife habitats could be threatened and how our beaches might be degraded.
Members will be aware of the legislation, including European directives, that protects our marine environment. That was the result of the 1992 Rio earth summit’s call for better management of the world’s seas and coasts, which led to the call, in the European Community’s fifth environmental action plan, for integrated coastal zone management. The Scottish Wildlife Trust also held seminars in 1992 and 1993 that encouraged the idea of wide stakeholder engagement.
Projects were set up under Scottish Natural Heritage’s focus on firths initiative, which gathered and identified data on our firths’ resources, uses, issues and needs. That serves as a baseline for future target setting.
Without marine planning, it was paramount to build strong links and stakeholder networks to deliver integrated coastal zone management through discussion and conflict resolution. Integrated coastal zone management is a cyclical process that needs at least 15 years to deliver, so we are now seeing results from early management plans.
Networks have been built up by our coastal partnerships, which I welcome to the Parliament this evening. We have representatives from our great firths: the Solway, the Clyde, the Forth, the Tay and the Moray Firth. We also have representatives from the east Grampian coast and the Hebrides. In the debate, we will celebrate the work that the partnerships do to promote their coastal areas economically and culturally while always seeking to protect biodiversity. Their role in encouraging schools and community groups to be aware of the coastal environment is also vital.
The Highlands and Islands have three partnerships: those for the Clyde, the Hebrides and the Moray Firth. The Moray Firth is the largest of the firths and stretches from Duncansby Head to Fraserburgh. A special area of conservation lies to the west of a line between Helmsdale and Lossiemouth. The firth’s seafood can be found in the best restaurants in the Mediterranean. It is also famous for its oil platform construction yards; it still supplies the oil industry and maintains rigs.
The firth has championship golf links; magnificent beaches, such as those at Dornoch and Nairn; and countless fishing harbours, especially along the Moray and Aberdeenshire coast. It has havens for migrating birds and is home to the internationally renowned Moray Firth dolphins. According to recent research instigated by the Moray Firth Partnership, the dolphins bring into the local economy around £5 million in tourist revenue.
What is the role of the Moray Firth Partnership and the other coastal partnerships? The partnership is a voluntary organisation. It promotes dialogue between competing interests so that the firth’s natural economic and social resources are kept in good order.
Some examples of what the Moray Firth Partnership does will help to illustrate its work. It brought dolphin cruise boat operators together with SNH to provide accreditation for boats working in the SAC. If it can access funding, it hopes to enlarge the initiative to create a wildlife SMarT—sustainable marine tourism—programme, together with the east Grampian and Tay estuary partnerships, to promote sustainable marine wildlife watching along the east coast.
Lately, the Moray Firth Partnership has promoted locally caught fish and shellfish through the see here project. Fishermen, fishmongers, chefs, restaurateurs and hoteliers have been brought together to promote local seafood, which often goes abroad. If the project is successful, local fishermen will have a stable local market and local people will have the benefits of fresh local fish and shellfish.
In the heritage field, the partnership recently promoted the gansey project, which gathered together examples of traditional ganseys and patterns from bygone years and promoted interest in new ways of using the patterns, which were taken up by a London fashion house. The exhibition has toured the UK and there has been interest from across the North Sea—particularly from the Netherlands.
Most important for integrated coastal zone management, the Moray Firth Partnership has recently been working on a matrix for the interaction between all users of the firth. That has been at the Scottish Government’s behest, to pave the way for marine planning partnerships. The partnership tells me that the exercise has been fascinating, and the results can be seen on its website. That kind of data will be needed for successful marine planning, which will be rolled out over the next few years.
The advent of local marine planning partnerships means that coastal partnerships have an uncertain future and do not know what role, if any, they will have. Coastal partnerships have done much to promote the proper and sustainable use of our coasts. It would be a great pity for the knowledge and expertise that have been built up over many years to be lost. I urge the cabinet secretary to tell us the Scottish Government’s thinking about their future role and how we will capitalise on their experience.
17:44
I thank Rhoda Grant for introducing the debate. In Scotland, the coasts and seas are the source of many of our foods, our wildlife, our energy, our minerals, our transport, our tourism and, above all, our history.
It is hard to believe that it is 22 years since the Rio earth summit and 21 years since the launch of the focus on firths initiative. At the summit in 1992, 172 Governments participated, with 116 of them sending heads of Government or state, and some 2,400 representatives of non-governmental organisations attended, too. The Kyoto protocol was also agreed that year, following the climate change convention.
The lesser-known convention on biological diversity was also agreed at the earth summit. The convention had three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from generic resources. Scotland’s response was the focus on firths initiative, which was established soon thereafter, and the creation of the seven local coastal partnerships.
The mainland of Scotland has 6,160 miles of coastline. When one includes the isles, the figure increases to 10,250 miles, which represents 42 per cent of the circumference of the globe. With that range, Scotland is a special place for biodiversity. In fact, as the coastal partnerships website points out, it is special not only for the sheer number of species that it supports but for its complex mosaic of habitats and scenery, which make up our rich and varied landscape.
Approximately 90,000 species of animals, plants and microbes live in Scotland, supported by our many habitats and varied landscape from mountains and moorland, through rivers, lochs and forests, to the gateways of our coasts and seas. That is part of our lifeblood.
The seven local coastal partnerships have many projects in action, from the coastal care projects in the Hebrides to the adopt-a-beach project in Grampian, the Firth of Clyde forum work on waterfront regeneration on the Clyde and the Forth coastal litter project.
The Marine (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced into the Parliament on 30 April 2009, sought to create a new legislative and management framework for the marine environment. That included a new system of marine planning, a revised system of licensing marine activities and powers to establish marine protected areas. Marine Scotland was created ahead of the bill’s introduction as a directorate of the Scottish Government to help deliver many of the provisions.
As of 24 July this year, 30 marine protected areas have been designated under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. They will be incorporated into the national marine plan and represented in the national marine plan interactive tool alongside existing protected areas.
Scotland is a rich and diverse country and we have come a long way in the 21 years since the focus on firths initiative was launched. Our coastline will never fail to amaze, never cease to attract tourists and visitors to our shores and never fail to inspire all generations of Scots.
I will close with a quotation from the famous Scottish conservationist John Muir, who said:
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.”
Scotland’s coastline is that beauty. Let us continue to protect Muir’s legacy.
17:48
I congratulate Rhoda Grant on lodging this important motion. Scotland has seven local coastal partnerships. Much as I love the northern coast that Rhoda Grant talked about I shall, understandably, concentrate on the Forth Estuary Forum, which is the LCP that covers the coastal area of my constituency, as well as much else. It takes in a diverse waterway that combines a European birds directive designated special protection area, and special areas of conservation for grey seals, with a busy commercial shipping area with exports of oil and gas and imports of goods from all over the world. It is a stretch of water that must maintain a delicate balance between the protection of our natural ecosystems and the commercial and industrial needs of the surrounding ports and towns.
Membership of the Forth Estuary Forum is open to all who have an interest in preserving that great natural resource for future generations. The forum does that by including future generations in projects such as friends of the Forth that get young people in schools and clubs out into the natural environment.
The friends of the Forth project follows on from the very successful coastal litter campaign, which ran from 2001 to 2004 to raise awareness of marine litter and to set up beach cleans in order to reduce debris. Set up in 2005, the project raises awareness and gathers information on issues including marine litter, climate change and biodiversity. It supplies teachers who may wish to include lessons on beach littering and its impact with useful education packs. It offers a curriculum-based package that gives practical advice on projects that are rewarding and fun. With the help of friends of the Forth, a regular group is run at Seafield, near Kirkcaldy, to clean up the beach there. That is an important aspect of the Forth Estuary Forum.
To move on to another topic, one of the themes in the Forth integrated management strategy was to
“promote access to and enjoyment of the Forth.”
In 2002, the Forth Estuary Forum set up a project to look at strategic planning of Forth-wide access for walking, cycling and riding. All seven local authorities, Scottish Natural Heritage and Paths for all Partnership were involved. The forum commissioned a major feasibility study to look at scoping, demand analysis, marketing and funding of a round the Forth route. The study was completed in 2004 and has provided the framework for local authorities and other organisations including Sustrans to develop routes for access around the Forth. As a result, Sustrans has developed the round the Forth cycle route as part of the national cycle network. Forth Estuary Forum regularly attends the round the Forth group to help to promote access to members and the wider community. In doing so it not only broadens enjoyment of the natural environment, but improves it by supporting active travel and, perhaps, reduces some of the heavy traffic that can damage coastal ecosystems.
The forum has also sought ways to adapt the coastline and protect ecosystems from increasing occurrences of flooding. Its past investigations into natural defences included a 1999 project that was co-ordinated with GeoWise and the University of Glasgow on potential options for managed realignment along the Forth. After considering the feasibility of various sites, it was concluded that some local protection could be achieved, but that flood risk to the wider estuary would not be lessened. However, valuable discoveries were made in the course of the study. For example, it was found that salt marsh habitat creation could be achieved by using that technique.
The motion gives me a chance to praise the work of the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, which is one of the member organisations in the Forth Estuary Forum. The trust was established in 1988 by residents who were concerned about the river and its future. From small beginnings, the voluntary organisation grew and, in 1997, the trust was successful in obtaining funding, with match funding principally from City of Edinburgh Council and Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Ltd—LEEL—for a £5 million capital project to complete the Water of Leith walkway and renovate the Slateford school house to create the Water of Leith visitor centre.
I am delighted to use the walkway on my bike and on foot. I hope that that is also the case for many other people on the Forth coastline and throughout Scotland. I look forward to further developments along the coastline in my constituency in the coming months and years.
17:53
I, too, congratulate Rhoda Grant on securing the debate. Like Rhoda Grant, I welcome the opportunity to pay tribute to the good work of local coastal partnerships in my Highlands and Islands region—including the Moray Firth Partnership and Coast Hebrides, which is the Outer Hebrides coastal marine partnership—and many others across Scotland.
There are many positive examples of the different work that is being undertaken by local coastal partnerships. The Moray Firth Partnership runs the dolphin space programme, which is an accreditation scheme for wildlife tour boat operators. It is an innovative, co-operative approach to sustainable wildlife tourism. The partnership’s “seafood—see here!” project aims to make local seafood more easily available, and to increase the amount and quality of seafood that is offered in local restaurants and shops.
On that point, I simply must mention the town of Oban in Argyll and Bute, which has some of the best shellfish outlets in Europe, which are unmatched for quality of produce. Their service is excellent, as well. I will never apologise for advertising Scotland’s shellfish. Our lobsters, crabs, scallops and prawns are the best in the world.
Coast Hebrides’s coastal care programme aims to restore and protect dunes and soft coasts by undertaking a range of initiatives in beach and dune management, restoration and flood protection. Marram grass has been transplanted to stabilise blowouts on dunes. The work is vital, because coastal erosion is a threat to communities in the Western Isles, for example.
The motion refers to the need to “bring stakeholders together” and to
“brokering agreements between different sectoral interests”,
which is important. In preparing for the debate I consulted representatives of the Clyde Fishermen’s Association and was most encouraged to learn that the association feels that its participation in the Firth of Clyde Forum over many years has been worth while. The group has collaborated and co-operated to seek constructive solutions in relation to the concepts that it supports.
The Clyde Fishermen’s Association suggested that the forum, unlike some initiatives, understands intuitively that there needs to be recognition of existing socioeconomic patterns, which should not be disrupted unless to make an improvement. As we look to improve the biodiversity and health of our coastal environment, we need to take with us the fishermen and other people who make their livings from our seas and coastline. In many cases, they are the people who have the practical understanding, expertise and knowledge about our coastal waters that can help to inform plans to ensure the sustainability that we all want. I have made that point repeatedly in the chamber—not least in the debate in March this year on bringing the Clyde up to good environmental status by 2020.
I see that I am running out of time. The Scottish Conservatives recognise the importance of our coastlines to our economy and to our biodiversity. We are aware of the positive achievements of Scotland’s local coastal partnerships and we hope that the best practice, experience and expertise that have been built up over the past 20 years or more can be maintained and developed as the new regional marine planning partnerships are introduced.
17:57
I congratulate Rhoda Grant on securing this evening’s debate.
It is amazing what one discovers when faced with something that one knew nothing about. I wondered why I knew nothing about coastal partnerships, but I explored the issue and found that east Grampian has a coastal partnership and that, at the south end of my constituency, there is the Tay estuary forum. The division between the two partnerships is precisely where Angus meets Aberdeenshire, which is a mercy, because I am sure that it makes life a lot simpler for them both.
The partners in the East Grampian Coastal Partnership include the local councils, the port and harbour authorities, Marine Scotland and the University of Aberdeen. They are a group of people who clearly have a vested interest in the area, but they must be active partners, because I note that they have just one, part-time employee, who I think will be hard-put to achieve a great deal unless the partners get involved.
The partnership’s objectives include promoting sustainable development, seeking to
“protect, conserve, enhance and promote the natural and cultural heritage of the East Grampian coast”,
and engaging stakeholders and everyone else who is interested. Those objectives seem very commendable and quite open-ended. I wish the partnership well and will help it in future.
I will give members a brief tour of my part of the east coast—we will probably get round the whole of Scotland in this debate, given that Elaine Murray is next to speak. My area starts with Stonehaven in the north, which has a harbour, a museum and, of course, the hogmanay fireball ceremony, which is unique—it will not happen anywhere else, if only for health and safety reasons. No distance away at all is Dunnottar castle, from where it is a short walk to the RSPB’s Fowlsheugh nature reserve, where we can find not just birds but butterflies and cliff-top flowers. It is still walkable to Inverbervie, where it is possible to pick up an old railway track, along which my wife and I were walking over the weekend. The old railway takes us down to Gourdon, Johnshaven and, probably after a bit of climbing, the wonderful beach at St Cyrus. There are fish festivals, fish-and-chip shops aplenty and tea houses, and very good exercise to be had. It is a wonderful environment.
Other members have mentioned litter, which is a problem that must be addressed in both directions. I stood on St Cyrus beach on Sunday afternoon looking at bottles that had not come on the tide, and at huge hay bales that must have done, because they could not have got there any other way. We were scratching our heads and wondering where they had come from, but it is clear that litter comes in both directions.
I look forward to the cabinet secretary’s announcement very soon—within a few days, I suspect—of the marine spatial plan. I welcome the increasing interest in what we do on the foreshore, and the increasing concerns about planning. I wonder whether the Old course at St Andrews would ever be built if someone wanted to do that now. It would no doubt be a site of special scientific interest on which no one would ever be allowed to put a golf course. I will leave members with that thought.
The coast needs to be looked after. At an institutional level, the coastal partnerships are doing their bit, and—as I said—I look forward to the publication of the draft marine plan in the next few days. We as individuals must also do our bit, and ensure that we do not drop litter. We have the opportunity to go down to the coast and enjoy our countryside, and I encourage everyone to do so.
Malcolm Chisholm mentioned the Water of Leith, which I have walked. Other members have mentioned Oban, where I have also been. I have walked most of my own coastline, and probably most of the coastlines that other members will mention. That is a fabulous opportunity, but it worries me that I do not meet many people out there. We need to broadcast the benefits rather more.
18:01
I, too, congratulate Rhoda Grant on bringing to the chamber the debate on local coastal partnerships. There are more than 50 such partnerships throughout the United Kingdom, which make a vital contribution to management and integration activities on the coast.
Like Malcolm Chisholm and Nigel Don, I will concentrate on my local coastal partnership, the Solway Firth Partnership, which turned 20 years old in June. It was inaugurated by Magnus Magnusson, with the initial aim of developing a cross-border marine and coastal strategy, and it became a limited company with charitable status in 2003. The partnership continues to work on both sides of the Solway, and therefore faces the challenge of operating within two different regulatory and policy frameworks, but it rises to the challenge and makes an important contribution to supporting the local economy and the local environment. Membership is open to all who are interested in coastal issues, whether they are organisations or individuals.
Over the years, the partnership has played many important roles. Those have included helping with the recovery from the effects of foot-and-mouth in 2001 in Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria; co-ordinating Solway Fish—the organisation, not the species; establishing the Solway aquatic litter task—or SALT—programme; developing the Solway biosecurity plan; and taking action on non-native invasive species, which included the publication of an identification guide.
The partnership has worked with the UK and Scottish Governments during the development of marine planning legislation such as our Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and the UK’s equivalent, the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. It is involved with the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority in England, and with the south-west inshore fisheries group that covers the Scottish part of the Solway Firth.
The partnership has run several successful projects, including the making the most of the coast initiative, which was a two-year project that was completed in the summer. The project involved more than 2,500 people; engaged with 28 education providers, from nurseries and schools to research establishments; worked with more than 30 groups; and featured in 33 publications.
Primary school children were involved in filming a documentary about the sea shore, and three awareness-raising films for young people were produced on coastal issues that included risks to coastal heritage, monitoring climate change and marine litter. Four short films were also produced featuring the variety of the Dumfries and Galloway coast.
The Solway Firth Partnership has been involved in co-ordinating work that is aimed at reopening the important Solway cockle fishery. The management of that intertidal fishery has, over the years, been problematic to say the least. Cockles are economically valuable, but they are also a food source for waders such as the oyster-catcher, and there is clearly a balance to be struck between economic and environmental considerations. The partnership has worked with Marine Scotland to develop a sustainable management model and, although the local contractor that had been taking part in the scientific study withdrew in August, the Government believes that sufficient information has been gathered to enable the fishery to reopen in September next year.
The partnership produces a biannual newsletter containing information about a range of coastal issues. For example, November’s edition includes an article on smuggling on the Solway in the 18th century—an activity that benefited not only from the differences in customs and excise in Scotland and England but from the proximity of the Isle of Man, whose rulers imported large quantities of luxury goods, repackaged them and sold them on to the Solway smugglers. Members may know that one of the most famous excisemen was Robert Burns, who caught a smuggler at Annan. That prompted him to write the poem “The De’il’s awa wi’ th’ Exciseman”, which suggests that he was somewhat more sympathetic towards the smuggler than an exciseman should have been.
The Solway Firth Partnership works with local people to promote sustainable enjoyment of the coast through activities such as sea angling, sailing, kayaking, diving, wildlife watching and coastal walking. The inner Solway Firth is designated as both a special protection area under the birds directive and a special area of conservation, or a Natura site. The estuary is an important wetland for overwintering birds such as Svalbard barnacle geese and whooper swans, and it is the most northerly habitat for the rare natterjack toad, for which I am the species champion in Parliament.
The role of the Solway Firth Partnership has been, and will continue to be, essential to the sustainable development, management and promotion of the Solway, and I am grateful to Rhoda Grant for the opportunity to thank the members of the partnership for their vital contribution to our region.
18:06
I congratulate Rhoda Grant on lodging the motion to recognise the important role that has been played by our coastal partnerships over many years. It is appropriate that I am able to speak in this debate after opening and closing the previous debate on sea fisheries, which was relevant to many members’ speeches. I enjoyed Rhoda Grant’s economic, social and cultural tour of Scotland’s coasts, particularly the Moray Firth, which I am privileged to represent part of. I certainly recognise those attributes of the Moray Firth that members have mentioned—it is a stunning area of Scotland.
I echo other members’ comments in acknowledging the contribution of the partnerships to the management of our coasts and seas. Their contribution has helped to shape and influence national policy in this country. Many of the partnerships and the bodies they represent were directly involved in the wide-ranging discussions that led to the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, as members have said. That legislation is all about protecting the features that Rhoda Grant and other members have spoken of.
The partnerships remain important to the on-going implementation of Scotland’s marine legislation, and the motion highlights the partnerships’ role in the development of marine planning and the work that they have done to pilot marine regional planning, which is now being taken forward. They have helped to pave the way for our new marine planning framework, and the debate is timely not only because we are celebrating the 21st anniversary of the emergence of the local coastal partnerships but because the national marine plan will be laid before Parliament later this week. It will be Scotland’s first statutory marine plan and will set the framework for the sustainable development of our seas.
Marine planning seeks to manage the impact of human activity on the marine environment, but it also recognises and encourages the growth of all the industries that members have mentioned that need and use our waters, such as fishing, oil and gas, renewables and marine tourism. It also gives further weight to the designated marine protected areas and preferred locations for the development of offshore wind and marine renewables. It is right that we take that approach. As has been said, our seas are a vast resource, offer a stunning environment that is essential for our climate and our lifestyles, are capable of providing food and energy, and are increasingly enjoyed by tourists and recreational users alike.
The Scottish seas with which we are blessed are also among the most diverse in the world, being home to many distinctive habitats and iconic species such as the basking shark and more than 20 species of marine mammals as well as internationally important bird populations.
The cabinet secretary has made a lot of Scotland becoming a food and drink nation. Does he agree that advertising our quality products from the areas that he is talking about is one of the best ways of doing that?
I certainly agree with that. In the previous debate, I mentioned the fact that I was in Orkney last week to meet food and drink businesses. The nature of Orkney defines the image that helps to sell the food and drink from those islands, and that is the case with other parts of Scotland as well. I hope that in 2015—the year of food and drink—our coastal partnerships and everyone who has an interest in promoting the image of our fantastic natural environment, which spawns our food and drink, will find ways of promoting their local produce throughout that important year.
It is important that we manage all those resources, because they will continue to support our reputation for food and drink, all the various species that I have mentioned and all the other benefits, which we want to be there not just for the present generation but for generations to come.
The national marine plan, which we have worked hard to develop since the 2010 act came into force, will help us to do that. The hard work that we have had to do reflects the processes that have been necessary to arrive at a plan that achieves a fair and appropriate balance between the economic, environmental and social interests that members have referred to.
First and foremost, the plan is based on the evidence in “Scotland’s Marine Atlas”, much of which is now available online. I invite members who have not had a look at it to consult it—it is available through a system called national marine plan interactive. I encourage schools, MSPs and the coastal partnerships to use that system to look at the marine atlas.
The marine plan was drawn up after heavy consultation. Last autumn, Marine Scotland hosted more than 30 consultation events around Scotland to take views from local communities. We have worked closely with a range of stakeholders, including the Scottish coastal forum, which represents the local coastal partnerships, and the marine strategy forum.
That engagement with local stakeholders and their understanding of the local marine environment have been mainstays of the activity of coastal partnerships throughout their existence. The partnerships have provided a forum for local stakeholders to come together and connect directly with the community on issues that affect them. Their activities range from the practical, such as organising the beach cleans that other members have mentioned—I have attended such events in my constituency—and providing wildlife watching guides, which has been done in Spey Bay in my constituency and in other areas that have been referred to, to strategic initiatives, such as developing sector interaction and addressing issues of conflict between sectors in different parts of Scotland. The key characteristic of the partnerships has been their ability to bring together a range of interests to consider common issues and to find local solutions.
How does the cabinet secretary envisage the partnerships getting involved in the new marine planning set-up? What will their role be?
Many of the organisations that are part of the coastal partnerships will be involved in marine planning in different parts of Scotland. We are at a very early stage, and as the marine regions evolve over the coming years we will see the evolution of local planning for our seas. As part of that process, we should—as I think that the member is suggesting—consider ways in which the coastal partnerships can play a role.
I do not think that it is for ministers to come up with ideas about how the coastal partnerships can play a greater role. We want to ask the partnerships what role they feel that they can play, and what support they require from the Government to play it in the future. I strongly encourage that bottom-up approach. That is the value of the partnerships around Scotland’s coasts.
A lot is happening. I expect that local coastal partnerships will continue to champion their members and all the marine industries that operate in their patches. I want them to do what they can to raise awareness of all the issues that members have spoken about and the riches of our coastal communities. If there is anything that the Government can do to help with that, we are open-minded.
There are many fine examples of such work being done around the country, such as by the Moray Firth Partnership and its neighbour the East Grampian Coastal Partnership, which are raising awareness of and demand for local seafood. Of course, there are now plans to develop an east Scotland seafood trail in 2015, which is timely given that 2015 will be the year of food and drink. There are many examples of such co-operation going on around the country, and I encourage that to continue.
Looking forward, I believe that the Government’s plan to establish marine planning partnerships at a regional level will ensure that the work of the local coastal partnerships is continued and developed. We are working closely with the Firth of Clyde forum and with those in Shetland to establish formal marine planning partnerships in those areas, to which I referred earlier.
The experience of local coastal partnerships, their engagement with local communities, the issues that they tackle and their ways of working provide many learning points for the development of regional marine planning in the coming years.
I could talk for a while longer about the many other initiatives that are happening around Scotland involving the local coastal partnerships. I do not want to do that, but I will close by commending the work of our local coastal partnerships. I wish their representatives well for tonight’s reception—if I can pop along, I will certainly do so—and I look forward to ensuring that their commitment to managing our coasts and seas is reflected in our new marine planning regime.
Let us continue to celebrate Scotland’s coasts and the role that our coastal partnerships play in doing that.
Meeting closed at 18:15.Previous
Decision Time