Marine Protected Area Network - 2018 Report to the Scottish Parliament

Spatial protection measures under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is focused on achieving Good Environmental Status by ensuring that adverse effects from human activities are avoided. There is an obligation to deliver spatial protection measures for biodiversity. Our seas are within the Celtic Seas and Greater North Sea sub-regions of the Atlantic.

For the purposes of this assessment all of the nature conservation sites are included. The five other area based measures are also included because they contribute to the conservation of marine biodiversity, and therefore help progress towards Good Environmental Status. We have implemented spatial protection measures for marine biodiversity in 22% of the Celtic Seas and 19% of the Greater North Sea.

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We have implemented spatial protection measures for marine biodiversity in 22% of the Celtic Seas and 19% of the Greater North Sea

These spatial protection measures are well distributed across our seas and are representative of the wide range of habitats and species present. This is a significant contribution towards achieving Good Environmental Status, which will be further enhanced by completing delivery of management measures. Further details on representation and replication of habitats and species in the Scottish MPA network can be found in Annex 5.

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The distribution of spatial protection measures in Scotland's seas