New report: Embedding social sustainability into marine governance

A new report finds that to effectively consider social impacts of marine developments in marine planning and decision-making cultures, planning processes and the types of evidence used in marine governance should be improved.

A collaborative knowledge exchange project between the University of Exeter and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has produced a new report considering how the MMO and wider marine decision-makers in England can better deliver social sustainability.

The project, ‘Marine planning reform for better governance’, brought MMO staff working in marine planning, evidence and evaluation together with a panel of academic researchers and practitioners who have expertise in environmental governance and social impact.

The project facilitated exchange of expert knowledge between the University of Exeter and the MMO to generate new ideas about how culture and practice in marine planning and evidence gathering can be changed.

The report identifies important barriers and makes key recommendations to drive change in marine governance that empowers coastal communities and considers the social impacts from marine developments.

The project recommends that the MMO develop a shared vision for marine governance, improve integration of data and knowledge exchange across MMO teams, and encourage a culture of systems thinking and ambition to deliver socially sustainable decision-making for England’s seas.

It found that a culture of risk aversion and siloed working makes it difficult to innovate and try new approaches to marine governance and overcoming this would be beneficial.

The project identified a need for more integration between the National Planning Policy Framework and the Marine Planning system.

Local Authorities need more support for their role in marine decision-making and this might be helped by increased recognition of developments in the marine sector within wider national planning.

Additionally, there was a question about whether the formal marine planning consultation process is reaching everyone who might usefully shape the plans.

Recommendations are given to embed social sustainability.

These are to increase the diversity of participants, improve the reach of consultations, and develop a social policy that places requirements directly upon developers.

Recognition of marine planning by the planning sector is also discussed.

The report highlights the challenges of exchanging social data and information without good infrastructure and the barriers to integrated working between organisations.

This reduces the ability of marine decision-making to reach the public as widely as it could.

In response, the report calls for better resourcing within coastal Local Authorities for marine and coastal decision-making.

The report additionally encourages all agencies involved in marine governance to make more use of non-technical evidence in order to better capture and understand potential social impacts of marine developments.

The project was led by Dr Pamela Buchan, a marine social scientist at the University of Exeter, and Dr Aisling Lannin, Head of Evidence and Evaluation at the MMO.

It has developed from Dr Buchan’s prize-winning research into marine citizenship, which means exercising the right to participate in the transformation of the human-ocean relationship for sustainability.

Dr Buchan said: “This project is part of an ongoing mission to bridge the gap between social scientific research and its practical application. By collaborating with the MMO to exchange knowledge, we’ve integrated cutting edge research about marine decision-making, how it affects coastal communities, and how formal processes such as marine planning can better enable people to be active marine citizens, with the practicalities of how the MMO delivers marine planning and marine governance.

“The report highlights key areas where the MMO could drive transformative change in marine governance. By advocating for a holistic approach, one that recognises social impacts alongside the traditionally emphasized economic and environmental facets, our recommendations pave the way for a more balanced marine decision-making landscape.

“A key message from the project has been how Local Government can better support marine planning and marine decision-making. Councils really are the face of local democracy and have the potential to extend democracy below water. Our insights will particularly resonate with Councils that have made Ocean Recovery Declarations, offering areas of action to embed ocean recovery and marine citizenship into local decision-making.”

Dr Lannin said: “I am delighted to have had this chance to explore the insights and knowledge of Dr Buchan and her colleagues alongside the practical expertise of our marine planning colleagues from MMO. This has given us the opportunity to exchange knowledge that could have a positive impact for citizens and marine managers, connecting their requirements and decision-making processes to bring about benefits for people and nature.”

The research team included Dr Katie Orchel, who led on workshop design and facilitation, and Rosie Walker from the University of Exeter, and Dr Rachel Holtby, Miranda Willis and Elizabeth Brett from the MMO.

The project was funded by the Open Innovation Platform (OIP) which supports University of Exeter staff to accelerate the translation of research into economic and societal benefit by engaging and collaborating with external partners.

The OIP is financed by Research England’s Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).