Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ

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How we are developing policies for the sustainable use of our seas.

First published:
25 October 2018
Last updated:

Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ National Marine Plan

We published the first Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ National Marine Plan on 12 November 2019. It sets out our policy for the next 20 years for the sustainable use of our seas.

Read the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ National Marine Plan

We have also published implementation guidance to be read alongside the Plan. This ensures the policies within the Plan are implemented effectively and consistently.

Why plan

Under the , we must produce a Marine Plan. Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Ministers are the planning authority for the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ:

  • inshore region (out to 12 nautical miles)
  • offshore region (12 to 200 nautical miles)

The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ National Marine Plan (WNMP) contains contain plans and policies which will:

  • support our vision for clean, healthy, safe and diverse seas
  • guide future sustainable development
  • support the growth of marine space and natural resources (’blue growth’)

We have published a report on .

Implementing the plan

Public authorities must make decisions based on the policies in the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ National Marine Plan. The help public authorities understand their role. We have also published  and Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ National Marine Plan: stakeholder mapping report.  

To enable effective implementation of the WNMP we have produced a number of supporting documents: 

To understand more about the plan see:

In developing the plan, we have sought stakeholder input, in the following ways:

  • our describes how we will engage with you
  • our advises us
  • we have sought views on
  • we  in December 2017, and published a summary of responses

Evidence

Having a sound evidence base will:

  • improve our knowledge of our seas
  • inform their sustainable use and management
  • enable effective marine planning

Our evidence base includes:

We will review and update the marine evidence report from time to time. This will give us an understanding of our seas.