Draft Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan

3. Support and enable landscape scale restoration

• Improve understanding of connections between habitats and species to generate ecosystem level benefits
• Encourage landscape scale funding
• Enable join-up between projects

4. Promote the importance of baseline surveys and localised approach

Objective 1 - Establish a rolling programme of opportunity maps to highlight where suitable ecological conditions for restoration may exist

Opportunity maps are a useful tool to understand where  ecological conditions might be suitable for restoration of different habitats and species. We have worked with Marine Directorate Science and NatureScot to develop a proof of concept opportunity map for native oysters (see Figure 1.), to demonstrate what these maps could look like and give an idea of how they can be used. Using this example as a basis, we plan to develop further maps over the lifespan of this plan for other habitats and species that may be suitable for restoration.

It is not intended that the opportunity maps produced for the restoration plan will be in any way prescriptive, or define areas where restoration should happen. Nor will it be the case that restoration can only happen in these areas. They are developed to help anyone interested in undertaking restoration - as well as other sea users - to better understand where around Scotland restoration of different types of habitats and species might be possible.

The native oyster map produced for the restoration plan is based on habitat suitability modelling, which uses existing data about ecological conditions to build a picture. In this case, the modelling has used data about factors like depth or current to  highlight where conditions are most likely not suitable for restoration. This is because there is still a lot we don’t know about the marine environment and marine species, for example the temperature range at which native oysters spawn in Scotland, and there is often local variation as well as incomplete data.

Because of their reliance on modelled data, opportunity maps provide a starting point but not the full picture. It is extremely important to conduct local baseline surveys to validate the modelled information. Before selecting a site, projects should investigate the local conditions in their area of interest to decide what, if any, restoration is most suitable for that location.

Similarly, it is important to recognise that environmental conditions are not the only factors which need to be considered in identifying restoration opportunities and designing restoration projects. Engagement with local sea users in the early stages of a project is critical to understand where restoration can be best located to minimise disruption to and from other activities.

We will continue to work with stakeholders to identify what other data layers would be useful in refining these maps. This could include: climate change modelling to understand where shifts in conditions might occur and help future-proof restoration; mapping historic presence of species and habitats; modelling around connectivity and habitat fragmentation; incorporating data on areas where pressure management is in place, for example marine protected areas and Priority Marine Features; and linking in with information about existing sea uses.

During discussions with the stakeholder advisory group we also explored whether we should develop finer-grained, more local or regional maps. There was some interest in this, but no strong feeling that this is something that should be developed for the whole of Scotland. We will work with Local Authorities to explore whether and where there might be a need for more developing more localised maps.

Figure 1. Illustration of proof of concept opportunity map for native oysters

Objective 2 - Develop criteria to prioritise habitats and species most urgently in need of restoration

Identifying where in Scotland there are restoration opportunities  is an important step, but there is also a need to consider how we prioritise habitats and species for restoration. This will help focus delivery of wider actions and objectives within the plan, for example by indicating where further opportunity maps would be beneficial, or ensuring that investment can be targeted to support restoration priorities.

Currently only a handful of species and habitats are targeted for active restoration, based largely on technological feasibility and local interest. But to drive scaling up of restoration and innovation in the sector, we need a better understanding of which habitats and species need to be restored most urgently; for example because they are the most under threat of extinction, or because of the long timescales involved in their restoration.

In Scotland we do not currently have a robust policy or scientific framework to articulate these priorities, so a key objective for this Plan is to develop a set of criteria to help us identify what the key priorities should be.

There are many examples of ‘priority lists’ in conservation, including our own list of Priority Marine Features in Scotland, the IUCN Red List and the OSPAR List of Threatened and Declining Species and Habitats. These are all based on carefully developed criteria, or metrics, to compare different aspects of habitats, species, landscapes or ecosystems.

We are working with NatureScot to develop something similar for active restoration. In the marine environment such a framework could include consideration of factors like;

• conservation priority: what is the current status of the habitat or species?
• restoration potential: do restoration methods currently exist or might they in future?
• potential benefits: how can restoration support the habitat/species, the wider ecosystem or people and communities?

Applying these kinds of criteria will allow us to signal what we consider to be priorities for active restoration. Criteria like this will also help to identify priorities which are not necessarily the focus of current activity, thereby driving innovation and the piloting of new approaches.

The intention is that, once developed, we can re-use such a framework to review the priorities as the Restoration Plan is updated over time. This will make sure that priorities keep pace with advances in restoration methods as well as changing pressures and the state of the marine environment.

Objective 3 - Support and enable landscape and ecosystem scale restoration

Currently restoration projects often focus on one, sometimes two habitats or species (combining for example native oysters and seagrass). It is clear however from engagement with the sector and academic community that there is growing interest in driving forward landscape and ecosystem scale initiatives. Working at this scale, for example focusing on a river catchment or an estuary, can multiply environmental benefits across ecosystems and recognises that natural systems are connected and do not operate or thrive in isolation.

Discussions at the stakeholder advisory group highlighted this type of work should be a key priority for the Restoration Plan and we want to explore opportunities for more projects - individually or in partnership with others - to develop at landscape scale and working across the land sea divide.

There are objectives and actions throughout the plan that will support this ambition, but specifically we want to:

• Improve understanding of connections between habitats and species to generate ecosystem level benefits, including terrestrial and marine linkages (source to sea)
• Encourage landscape scale funding
• Improve strategic oversight of where restoration is happening and tap into existing restoration networks to encourage join-up between projects
• Encourage existing groups, for example local coastal partnerships, Regional Land Use Partnerships, and local planning partnerships (terrestrial and marine where they exist), to identify regional priorities for restoration, supported by more localised opportunity maps

Objective 4 - Promote the importance of a place-based approach and baseline surveys

Ensuring that the right activities are carried out in the right places is critical to the success of restoration projects. Taking a place-based approach to conservation and restoration means  understanding the specific environmental, economic and cultural context of a place or region, to decide what activities or measures are most appropriate and to avoid any unintended negative consequences. This includes information on habitat and species presence, wider environmental characteristics and condition (and how these might change over time) as well as what other activities are taking place.

Making sure that information on local (and historic, where available) environmental conditions is easily accessible, including local knowledge from a range of sources, and supporting transparency and collaboration across sectors are all ways to embed place-based perspectives in restoration.

As part of this first Restoration Plan, we will promote place-based approaches in restoration guidance. We say more about this under Theme 5: Evidence and monitoring.