SpatialData.gov.scot
Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can be designated by Scottish Ministers under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. The boundaries of the designated Nature Conservation MPAs provided in this dataset represent the final recommendations within both the 12 nautical mile Territorial Sea limit (on the basis of advice provided by NatureScot - the Scottish Government's adviser on all aspects of nature and landscape across Scotland) and in the UK offshore waters adjacent to Scotland (on the basis of advice provided by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee- the statutory adviser to UK Government and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation).
A suite of 30 Nature Conservation MPAs (MPAs) were designated by Scottish Ministers on the 24th July, 2014.
A further site West of Scotland MPA managed by JNCC was designated by ministers on 25th September 2020.
Four additional Nature Conservation MPAs were designated by Scottish Ministers on the 3rd December 2020.
Red Rocks and Longay (Urgent ncMPA) was designated by Scottish Ministers on the 10th March 2021
The following URLs provide links to the consultation process websites: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/marine-protected-areas/scottish-marine-protected-area-advice, https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/nature-conservation-mpas/ and https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-environment/marine-protected-areas/.
Default
Identification info
- Metadata Language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Dataset Reference Date (Publication)
- 2013-07-01
- Dataset Reference Date (Creation)
- 2013-07-01
- Dataset Reference Date (Revision)
- 2021-03-10
- Identifier
- https://www.nature.scot / GB-SCT-SNH-CMEU-000240
+44 (0)1224-896170
+44 (0)1224-896170
- Maintenance and update frequency
- As needed
- Resource format
-
Name Version Geographic Information System
- Keywords
-
SeaDataNet P021 parameter discovery vocabulary
-
MEDIN
-
- Protected Areas
-
NatureScot
-
- Possible Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (pMPA)
- Limitations on Public Access
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
-
copyright, licence
- Use constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
-
You must always use the following attribution statement: © Crown Copyright, 2015. All rights reserved. License No. EK001-20140401. Not to be used for Navigation.
- Spatial representation type
- Vector
- Topic category
-
- Biota
- Extent
-
water column
SeaDataNet vertical extent keywords 2010-01-01
- Extent
-
Irish Sea
Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18
- Extent
-
Southern North Sea
Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18
- Extent
-
Northern North Sea
Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18
- Extent
-
Minches & Western Scotland
Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18
- Extent
-
Scottish Continental Shelf
Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18
- Extent
-
Rockall Trough & Bank
Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18
- Extent
-
Faroe-Shetland Channel
Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18
- Extent
-
Atlantic North West Approaches
Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18
- Extent
-
Irish Sea and St. George's Channel
International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas 1954-01-01
- Extent
-
North Atlantic Ocean
International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas 1954-01-01
- Extent
-
North Sea
International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas 1954-01-01
- Extent
-
water column
SeaDataNet vertical extent keywords 2010-01-01
))
Temporal reference
Temporal extent
- Begin
- 2013-07-01
- End
- 2020-12-03
Temporal extent
Distribution Information
Data format
- Data format
-
Name Version ESRI Shapefile
ESRI File geodatabase
GeoJSON
Geopackage
GML
Transfer options
- Resource Locator
Data quality info
- Quality Scope
- Dataset
- Conformity
- Data Specification on Protected Sites - Draft Guidelines
- Explanation
-
Believed to be conformant
- Degree
- true
- Statement
-
Background: Completion of a network of areas to protect biodiversity and geodiversity interests in the seas around Scotland will contribute to the delivery of a number of international and European commitments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the OSPAR Convention which call for the development of an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas. The EC Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) reinforces these commitments by stating that Member States' Programmes of Measures to achieve Good Environment Status (GES) shall contribute to 'coherent and representative networks of MPAs'.
Thirty-three possible Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (pMPAs) around Scotland (17 within territorial waters and 16 in offshore waters) were put out for consultation by Scottish Ministers on 25th July 2013. Additionally this dataset contains the boundaries of four Marine Protected Area search locations yet to be assessed fully against the Scottish MPA Selection Guidelines; where further research is pending before SNH provide formal advice to Scottish Ministers on these areas.
Designating Authority in Scotland: Scottish Ministers.
Role of SNH and JNCC: act as the advisors to Scottish Government in proposing selected sites for Ministerial approval as possible MPAs. SNH and JNCC then support the consultation over proposed sites with owners, occupiers, planning authorities and other interested parties on behalf of the Scottish Ministers.
Boundary definition process: The pMPA boundaries in the dataset have been subjected to a boundary setting exercise; this will be completed for the 4 MPA search locations if their status were to change to possible MPAs.
Boundary definition:
- Is normally based on OS Mastermap Mean Low water Springs (MLWS) or Mean High Water Springs (MHWS) dependent on proposed protected feature composition;
- Excludes significant coastal infrastructure;
- Follows the boundaries of existing protected areas for consistency and where appropriate (to simplify any future management discussions should the possible MPAs progress);
- For sites where black guillemots are a feature, the boundary of the possible MPA follows the natural break between the marine and terrestrial environment (i.e. the top of cliffs or back of storm beach/ rocky shores) and unless the presence of other features dictates otherwise, the seaward boundary extends 2 km from MLWS or to a maximum depth of 50 m.
Additionally each pMPA boundary has been assigned a Reference code (Ref - equivalent to a Protected Area code, PA_code)
Metadata
- File identifier
- fe97021f-6650-4313-88f5-ef99f99a9046 XML
- Metadata Language
- English
- Resource type
- Dataset
- Metadata Date
- 2025-01-08T13:55:51.184Z
- Metadata standard name
-
UK GEMINI
- Metadata standard version
-
2.3
Point of contact
- Individual name
-
Oliver Crawford-Avis
- Individual name
-
James Dargie
- Organisation name
-
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) - Aberdeen Office
- Organisation name
-
NatureScot
- Position name
-
MPA Network Planner - UK Offshore Area
- Position name
-
Marine Data Officer
- Voice
-
+44 (0)1224 266550
- Voice
-
01463 725000
- Delivery point
-
Inverdee House, Baxter Street
- Delivery point
-
Great Glen House, Leachkin Road
- City
-
Aberdeen
- City
-
Inverness
- Postal code
-
AB11 9QA
- Postal code
-
IV3 8NW
- Electronic mail address
-
Oliver.Crawford-Avis@jncc.gov.uk Avis@jncc.gov Oliver.Crawford-Avis@jncc.gov.uk
- Electronic mail address
-
james.dargie@nature.sco james.dargie@nature.scot
- Role
- Point of contact
- Role
- Point of contact
+44 (0)1224-896170
