The Fair Marine Environment and Tourism Initiative, an initiative led by the Fair Isle Community in partnership with Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust and The National Trust for Scotland has put forward a proposal for a Demonstration and Research Marine Protected Area within the Scottish MPA network as outlined in the Scottish Marine Bill (2010). The proposed MPA, which was sent to the Scottish Government’s Marine Scotland in December 2011, is intended to serve three purposes:
- to trial a series of management measures, supplemented by interpretation and dissemination, which demonstrate the role of MPAs in delivering fully sustainable marine management;
- to demonstrate the relationship between a fully functioning marine environment and the socio-economic stability of peripheral coastal communities;
- to meet a requirement of the Council of Europe in the form of a condition on the renewal of the Council of Europe Diploma for Fair Isle.
Wildlife tourism makes an essential contribution to the Fair Isle economy and the island residents are concerned about recent seabird trends and other signs of stress within the marine ecosystem, as much for the negative impact on the social and economic well-being of the community as for environmental reasons.
The Fair Isle MPA proposal is available at http://www.fairisle.org.uk/FIMETI/Reports/MPA/FAIR_ISLE_MPA_Proposal_Parts%20I&2_smaller.pdf
Nick Riddiford, Coordinator, FIMETI
A wonderful proposal showing long term forward thinking for both the protection of threatened seabird populations and the communities that rely upon the benefits of tourism. Well done Nick and All