Marine Heritage Protection for Scotland

The Marine (Scotland) Act has just received royal assent, introducing a new era for the conservation of cultural and natural heritage of Scotland’s seas.

Scotland’s Marine Bill received Royal Assent on 10 March. The Scottish Government has described the bill as “a major turning point in safeguarding the future of Scotland seas and laying the foundations for a more simplified marine planning and licensing system. The Marine (Scotland) Act provides a framework which will help balance competing demands on Scotland’s seas. It introduces a duty to protect and enhance the marine environment and includes measures to help boost economic investment and growth in areas such as marine renewables.”

The new powers in the Act include the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to enhance marine biodiversity and preserve historic assets and a licensing system that should ensure that the effects on any site of marine historic or archaeological interest are taken into consideration. The Act also places a duty on Scottish Ministers to keep such matters under review in the exercise of marine planning and other functions. The new category of ‘Historic Marine Protected Area’ will allow the designation of specific areas of the sea bed for the purpose of preserving a marine historic asset of national importance. The definition is a wide one and includes vessels, aircrafts, structures, caves, excavations, and deposits or artefacts which show evidence of human activity. It introduces a welcome new means of protecting cultural heritage in territorial waters.

For more information on the marine heritage of the UK, visit the Current Issues section.