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Seas our Future explores some of the themes we heard during our initial engagement workshops and online survey in 2020. The full results are published here.
 
In summary we heard the following:
Many of the workshop and survey participants had observed undesirable environmental changes in the Outer Hebrides including marine pollution and litter, loss of marine species and habitats and climate change.
  • The marine environment and its successful management were important to participants.
  • Jobs and the economy were as important as the environment, with an emphasis placed on the need for greater environmental sustainability of jobs.
  • The balance needed between environmental protection and sustaining economic prosperity seems linked to a concept of island identity through participants’ love of nature, and often through making a living in the environment, for example from fishing, island tourism or other marine jobs.
  • The current management framework for Marine Protected Areas is not delivering benefits for either the natural environment or for local communities and alternative management arrangements should be explored.
  • Information about Marine Protected Areas in the Outer Hebrides should be made more accessible.


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* 1. Does the film (or the report) adequately capture what you think are the main concerns for people about the seas around the Outer Hebrides?

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* 2. Respondents to the survey said there needs to be a balance between environmental protection and sustaining economic prosperity.

Do you think the current balance is right?

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* 3. If the balance is not right, what are the key things we need to change?

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* 4. The Scottish Government has a vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive, and biologically diverse marine & coastal environment, managed to meet the long-term needs of nature and people. The creation and maintenance of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) network is an integral part of achieving that vision by safeguarding marine biodiversity.


A core aim of the project (MarPAMM – Seas of the Outer Hebrides) is to build a shared vision for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Outer Hebrides, putting communities at the heart of the process. We hope this will help to build consensus on the future management of our internationally important marine wildlife around the islands.


What’s your vision for Marine Protected Areas in the Outer Hebrides?

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* 5. About you?

Are you a permanent resident of the Outer Hebrides?

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* 6. If YES, which island is your home?

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* 7. MarPAMM is an environment project to develop tools for monitoring and managing a number of protected coastal marine environments in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Western Scotland. The project is supported by the EU's INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.

Discover more at: http://www.mpa-management.eu/

If you would like to find out more about the project or contribute views individually or to a focus group, please leave your contact details below.

Privacy & Data Protection:  All Agencies will process all personal data in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your personal data, i.e. name and email address will be held securely and only for as long as is required by the project. The Agencies will not make any unauthorised disclosure of this information and will only share it with the other Agencies for the purposes of response analysis. We will also only contact you in relation to this survey if you authorise us to do so. In the context of this survey ‘Agencies’ refers to the following government agencies and the external contractor assigned by NatureScot: NatureScot, Marine Scotland, CnES, Creative Carbon Scotland. Should you have any questions regarding your personal information please contact Owen.McGrath@nature.scot. 

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