 Environment Minister
Allan Wilson has met with the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) to
consider how their proposal for a ‘No Take Zone’ in Lamlash Bay off the
coast of Arran might be taken forward by the Scottish Executive.
“We have agreed to meet further with officials from the Water Environment
Division of the Executive to consider COASTS’s proposals in the context of
our Strategic Review of the Marine Environment. I am presently considering
the results of our recent consultation that they have already contributed to
and there is merit I believe in looking at their proposals for wider
community involvement in coastal management” said Mr Wilson.
“The maintenance and restoration of habitat that supports fish stocks and
marine wildlife is certainly an objective of our draft inshore strategy.
That strategy proposes an informal ‘test’ mechanism whereby the biological,
environmental, social and economic impact of any proposal is measured for
merit or demerit.”
“We are not yet ready to formally use the mechanism but it will be
productive to look at what it might produce around the coast of Arran. “
“I also want to explore issues of marine conservation and coastal management
more generally. I favour the creation of a coastal national park that would
have sustainable development at its heart and address the conflict between
conservation interests and the commercial exploitation of the marine
resource and organisations like COAST have an important contribution to make
to that debate” said Mr Wilson.
“For example, I was pleased to work with COAST on their successful campaign
to have the sewage outfall from the new treatment works moved to protect the
maerl in Lamlash Bay. That survey demonstrated that parts of the surveyed
maerl bed were more than 90% live and in terms of the Clyde sea at least,
scientifically significant and worthy of further protection.”
“Consequently, as well as the existing community case for protecting the
marine environment of Lamlash Bay, the biological case for doing so is now
considerably strengthened.”
“It will be important, therefore, to address the economic implications of
creating marine protection areas around our coast and ensure equal weight is
given to the contribution that eco tourism, for instance makes to our
coastal economy”
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