Scottish Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) consultation: Scottish Government response

3 Next Steps

Moving forward, we are committed to work with coastal and island communities, fishers, aquaculture, tourism, and all affected sectors to enhance marine protection in Scotland for the benefit of all.

Our next steps will involve taking time to gather views from people across Scotland about how we improve the state of our marine environment in a way that ensures coastal communities thrive and that all of Scotland benefits from one of our most valuable ecosystems.

We know there are lots of innovative ideas out there for how we can improve protection, including some which were put forward as part of the consultation responses (See Annex A for some examples), and these are exactly what we want to hear and discuss further with stakeholders.

It is very important that those who will be affected by policies are engaged in their development. The viability of coastal and island communities matters very much to this government and we will ensure that any proposals brought forwards are pursued in line with just transition principles. So, too, do the matters of cultural importance that have been made clear at the beginning of this process.

It is vitally important that we act now to ensure that our seas continue to be a source of economic prosperity for our nation today, and in the future.