The development and testing of a multiple-use zoning scheme for Scottish waters

• We developed and tested a multiple-use zoning scheme for Scottish waters.
• Conservation mechanisms such as SACs, SPAs and SSSIs etc, can be managed via zoning.
• Identified likely shortcomings of spatial choices selected to deliver conservation objectives.
• Advance of legislative management mechanisms required before execution of multiple-use scheme.

Marine Spatial Planning attempts to develop integrated planning frameworks for the management of activities within marine ecosystems and support sustainable development. This study demonstrates the application and testing of an existing multiple-use zoning scheme within Scottish territorial waters. The zoning scheme developed is based on integrating existing legally permitted management mechanisms to develop a series of zones where increasing number of activities are restricted. When applied, the zoning scheme allows for assessment of the ability of current governance mechanisms to cope with the increasing number of activities and developments in the marine environment and the pressures associated with them. The zoning scheme was tested by evaluating how the zones defined relate to the protection of features of conservation interest. Specifically, it was tested by determining the proportion of the five rarest marine landscapes as classified by UKSeaMap 2010 and also a selection of OSPAR Priority Marine Features that fell within different zones within Scottish waters.