Chamber and committees

The National Marine Plan will adopt objectives and policies which respond to the economic assessment and summary of pressures and human impacts identified in Scotland’s Marine Atlas: Information for the National Marine Plan. The National Marine Plan will set the national framework within which regional planning and marine authorisation and enforcement decisions will be taken forward.

Scotland’s marine and inland waters (and the activities they support such as sailing, fishing and water sports) together with the associated biodiversity are valuable niche markets within the tourism industry in Scotland. The industry-led tourism strategy “Tourism Scotland 2020” identified “nature, heritage and activities” as one of four groups of key assets that the industry will use in targeting the markets that offer Scotland the greatest growth potential.

Recognising the importance of these assets, 2013 has been designated as our Year of Natural Scotland, a year in which we will celebrate Scotland’s reputation as a place of outstanding natural beauty with landscapes, littoral areas and biodiversity to engage with and enjoy responsibly.

In the run up to, and during, the year we will focus on promoting the activities available in Scotland’s natural tourism attractions and will inspire the people of Scotland to rediscover their own country and visitors to come and experience and participate in Scotland’s natural festivals and events, natural tourism attraction and outdoors locations.

VisitScotland has specific areas on its website promoting marine activities such as water-sports, sailing and fishing. The Green Tourism Business Scheme also enables visitors to Scotland to choose accommodation which has had their ecological credentials independently verified.

The term ecotourism can cover a very wide spectrum of tourism activities related to the appreciation of Scotland’s environment. At one end of that spectrum are carefully planned visits to view our superb flora and fauna. Many more visitors come to enjoy our breathtaking scenery at first hand, for example by engaging in water-borne or water-related activities.

There have been earlier reports which looked at the impact of broad industry activities - such as nature based tourism and wildlife tourism - across Scotland as a whole. In 2010, a Scottish Government study, The Economic Impact of Wildlife Tourism in Scotland Research Findings No. 1/2010 (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/05/12150843/3) estimated coastal and marine wildlife tourism have a respective net economic impact of £24 million and £15 million, together 59% of the total net economic impact of wildlife tourism. Respectively coastal wildlife and marine wildlife tourism are estimated to account for 995 and 633 additional full-time equivalent jobs.

There are some specific studies which give an indication of the value of marine wildlife or natural tourism to an area – e.g. Scottish Natural Heritage estimate for example that whale watching in western Scotland is worth £7.8 million a year, supporting 115 jobs and over 60 boat operators.

It is difficult to gauge the value of ecotourism as a whole to the economy, and correspondingly even more difficult to gauge the value of marine ecotourism within that.

However, VisitScotland’s Tourism Attitudes Survey for 2011 revealed that 58% of people surveyed said that they chose Scotland in order to see the scenery/landscape. Eleven per cent of people surveyed said that they deliberately chose Scotland because it has a good reputation in sustainable tourism, seven per cent chose to stay in accommodation with green credentials and two per cent made a point of choosing an environmentally responsible tour operator. Sixteen per cent of people surveyed said that watching wildlife was an activity which they had undertake whilst on holiday.

It is clear therefore that ecotourism, whether marine or terrestrial, is very important to the overall tourism economy, which contributes £2.9 billion in Gross Value Added every year to the Scottish economy.

<>In 2010, a Scottish Government study, The Economic Impact of Wildlife Tourism in Scotland Research Findings No. 1/2010 (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/05/12150843/3) estimated coastal and marine wildlife tourism have a respective net economic impact of £24 million and £15 million, together 59% of the total net economic impact of wildlife tourism. Respectively coastal wildlife and marine wildlife tourism are estimated to account for 995 and 633 additional full-time equivalent jobs.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are being identified to protect and safeguard our marine biodiversity and we anticipate that these can enhance the visitor experience for ecotourists to Scotland as well as contribute to the prosperity of rural coastal communities.

Socio-economic assessments, as part of an overall Sustainability Appraisal, will identify what activities currently take place in potential MPAs, and estimate the potential economic and social consequences arising from any potential interactions. This will include a qualitative analysis of the potential benefits of MPAs, taking into account the possible effect on ecotourism in Scotland. This will be made available for the public consultation in 2013.

Tourism operators recently wrote to me to highlight the potential benefits of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to marine tourism and my officials are aware of estimates of the benefits of MPAs to tourism in other countries.

The focus of the current work to identify Marine Protected Areas in Scotland has been on the scientific evidence base to support inclusion of locations as potential Marine Protected Areas. Currently, the remit of the Sustainability Appraisal which will accompany the 2013 consultation is concentrating on Scotland specific evidence. Should it be considered directly relevant, the effects of marine protected areas on ecotourism in countries where an MPA network exists may be included in this appraisal.

The designation of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters as a marine energy park is a matter for the UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change.

However, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the sustainable use and protection of our coasts and seas and the resources that they contain and is responsible for planning and licensing offshore renewable activity in Scottish waters. The planning system has an important role in supporting the achievement of sustainable development through its influence on the location, layout and design of any new developments.

The Strategic Management Board for veterinary surveillance has met three times, and has mostly been engaged in structural and strategic discussions, especially on the recommendations from the Review of Veterinary Surveillance published last year.

The board discussed Schmallenberg virus at its first meeting, but only as an example of the effectiveness of the current disease surveillance system, which identified the virus very quickly.

Until the structural issues have been addressed the Strategic Management Board is not expected to become involved in decisions regarding the handling of individual diseases. Such decisions are made through the existing system of regular meetings between the Scottish Government, the Scottish Agricultural College and the Moredun Research Institute.

Due to resource constraints it is not possible to monitor all SPA features every six year reporting cycle. Where routine seabird monitoring is carried out by SNH on National Nature Reserves, or by partner bodies such as RSPB or NTS, SNH will continue to use this data for condition assessments each reporting cycle. Condition assessments for SPAs outwith routinely monitored sites will be completed using data provided by the UK national seabird census – which is currently repeated on a 15 year basis.

The Scoping Reports for Offshore Wind Farm Developments and Wave and Tidal Energy Developments in Scottish Waters identify broad areas which may be suitable for further developments from the point of view of best resource but also with fewest potential hazards. Both contribute to planning for renewables and form one component of the renewables elements of Scotland’s first national marine plan currently under development. The scoping studies do not prevent developers wishing to develop outside of these areas and all licence applications for renewables development in these or other areas are subject to the requirements of legislation including Environment Impact Assessment. Possible locations for designation as a Marine Protected Area under the Marine (Scotland) Act are being identified using a science led approach but ministers have provision to take account of other issues in decisions on a designation.

Progress on the designation and status of MPAs and progress towards achieving their conservation objectives will be subject to a six-yearly reporting cycle to the Scottish Parliament. Monitoring of Nature Conservation MPA protected features will be undertaken as part of a wider programme of biodiversity monitoring and surveillance, including monitoring programmes established to implement the Marine Strategy Framework Directive from 2014 onwards. A framework is under development and a budget has yet to be agreed for the monitoring programme. Historic Scotland will be responsible for periodic monitoring of Historic MPAs. Estimated costs per site were outlined in the Financial Memorandum on the Marine (Scotland) Bill.