Published in 2015, Scotland’s National Marine Plan (NMP) introduced a framework for the management of both Scottish inshore waters (out to 12 nautical miles) and offshore waters (12 to 200 nautical miles). The plan set out high-level objectives, general policies and sectoral policies and was developed with the involvement of MASTS members as academic advisors and stakeholders.

The MASTS Marine Planning & Governance Forum lead dialogues between the Government, marine planners, local authorities, stakeholders and the scientific community, to identify and address the knowledge gaps in implementing effective marine planning.