National Marine Plan 2: stakeholder engagement strategy and statement of public participation

3. Vision for engagement and theory of change

3.1 Vision for engaging stakeholders on NMP2

Our vision for engaging stakeholders during the development of NMP2 reflects the lessons learnt and best practices on engagement across Marine Directorate and wider Scottish Government. The vision continues to be:

“Everyone who uses, relies on or has an interest in Scotland’s seas has the opportunity to inform decision-making in the marine space, and they embrace the National Marine Plan as a key resource to guide decision-making.”

The vision is underpinned by outcomes for engaging stakeholders during the planning process, and the actions we will take to achieve those outcomes.

3.2 Outcomes for engaging stakeholders and actions we will take

To ensure we are implementing our commitments to a staged approach to engagement, and building the plan with stakeholders, we have revisited and updated the ‘Theory of Change’ [4] in Table 1, first published in 2022. The outcomes presented in Table 1 outline what we want to achieve by engaging stakeholders on the development of NMP2 and shape the style and scope of the engagement activities we will undertake. Table 1 also includes example actions we will take to deliver on these outcomes.

The actions provided in Table 1 are not exhaustive, rather they provide an indication of the types of engagement we will undertake with specific stakeholders and throughout the entire plan development process. A timetable of proposed stakeholder engagement activities, including target stakeholders and methods for engagement, is also provided in Annex A.

Table 1: Theory of Change - highlighting key outcomes and associated actions for stakeholder engagement throughout the development of NMP2

Vision for engaging stakeholders during the development of NMP2

Everyone who uses, relies on, or has an interest in Scotland’s seas has the opportunity to inform decision-making in the marine space, and they embrace the National Marine Plan as a key resource to guide decision-making.

Outcomes – the long-term changes we want to see as a result of our actions

There is a sense of shared ownership and shared design of NMP2 between stakeholders and Officials.

Stakeholders feel that their voices have been heard in the process of developing NMP2.

There is a shared understanding of interests and priorities for marine planning between stakeholders and Officials.

Stakeholders understand the marine planning process, including the effect and practical implications of decisions taken through NMP2.

Outputs – what we hope to deliver as a result of our actions

We will deliver a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy that meets statutory requirements.

We will deliver an adopted NMP2 which has been collaboratively designed with stakeholders from across the marine sectors.

We will publish a Planning Position Statement that sets out initial thinking on issues to be addressed within NMP2, providing an additional engagement opportunity for collaborative plan design.

We will publish an additional post-consultation Explanatory Report summarising the changes to the plan and how consultation feedback has been used.

We will produce a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Scoping Report and associated Consultation Analysis Report following public consultation, and post-adoption statement demonstrating the role of stakeholder input in shaping statutory assessment of the draft NMP2.

We will produce a detailed record of stakeholder feedback, collected throughout NMP2 delivery, to ensure transparency in the process.

We will deliver information materials, including presentation and recordings, to raise awareness of NMP2 delivery and encourage involvement in plan design.

Actions – what we will do to achieve our intended vision

We will identify existing fora to engage key stakeholders from across marine sectors throughout the plan development.

We will design a range of accessible and inclusive engagement opportunities, including public consultations based on stakeholder groups and interests, including identifying opportunities for cross-sector discussions.

We will employ a staged approach to engagement during NMP2 development, sharing draft outputs as they become available, gathering feedback from stakeholders to inform iterative policy and plan development.

As part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process we will conduct a scoping exercise and will hold a public consultation on the proposed assessment scope.

We will collate stakeholder feedback, obtained from the various engagement opportunities, into a comprehensive record.

We will build capacity in understanding the marine planning process across stakeholder groups - including amongst under-represented groups - seeking to improve ocean literacy and building strategic partnerships across many demographics, for example by delivering marine planning sessions, presentations, workshops, forums, and webinars.

The Theory of Change outlined in Table 1 is based on the assumption that all stakeholders invited to take part in the development of NMP2 have the capacity and resources to participate in the activities we have proposed.

We also acknowledge that there may be factors beyond our control that do not allow for our proposed planning timelines to be met, and that we will do our best to adjust our stakeholder engagement activities as appropriate, and with advance notice to stakeholders.

3.3 Principles that will guide our engagement with stakeholders

In order to deliver the vision and outcomes for engaging stakeholders outlined in Sections 3.1 and 3.2, and reflect the lessons acquired from previous efforts, we remain committed to carrying out engagement that is:

• Inclusive: ensuring that a broad range of stakeholders, including the general public and underrepresented groups have opportunities to share their views at key stages throughout plan development
• Targeted: carrying out efficient engagement through established fora, where applicable, to avoid repetition and stakeholder fatigue
• Transparent: taking a strategic and consistent approach to engagement, by sharing information and outputs widely as they become available and communicating how feedback has been taken into account in the development of NMP2.

There are different stakeholder groups that have distinct needs, interests, and capacities. The intensity and type of engagement may vary between stages of the plan development, as we move from conceptual issues and directions of travel, to detailed content and wording. Engagement levels could range from basic informative updates to active cooperation.

We also understand that our engagement with stakeholders throughout the national marine planning process needs to stay flexible. Stakeholder interests may change throughout the planning process (e.g. emerging industries, innovation in existing practices). Therefore, the example actions listed in Table 1, as well as the stakeholder engagement timetable outlined in the SPP in Annex A, are necessarily high-level. The Marine Directorate will provide more detailed information on specific activities and events when appropriate. We commit to the vision, outcomes and principles for stakeholder engagement outlined here as a guide and will monitor progress towards these outcomes as we move through the plan development process.

3.4 How we will measure our progress against these outcomes during the national marine planning process

We will monitor the outcomes outlined in Section 3.2 to ensure that our approach to stakeholder engagement is inclusive, targeted, and transparent.

We intend to monitor:

Indicator

• Understanding of the marine planning process and NMP2
• Level of participation across stakeholder interests
• Cross-sector engagement in the NMP2 stakeholder engagement process
• Regional engagement

Monitoring mechanism

• Pre- and post- meeting/workshop/event surveys
• Meeting/workshop/event attendance lists, NMP2 newsletter membership list, Citizen space consultation feedback
• Pre- and post- meeting/workshop/event surveys; Citizen Space consultation feedback
• Uptake of engagement opportunities within Scotland’s Marine Order regions - meeting/ workshop event attendance list