Social baseline assessment for the marine plans

Tender description

Marine planning is a new policy area globally, with planning in England among the most progressed. In scoping issues for marine planning to address, social issues were raised by marine stakeholders as frequently as economic issues. Despite the prevalence and importance of social issues, evidence to underpin plan policy responses is lacking. Over the last six years MMO has advanced social evidence including identification of data sources, development of methodology and improved understanding of social interactions among maritime sectors and exploration of the social impacts of some sectors. Further work is required to allow social issues (challenges and opportunities) to be more fully incorporated into marine plan policy development. This project will increase the amount and quality of information available to the MMO to help it quantify the existing baseline of social issues and opportunities. This in turn will help the MMO understand how marine plans may impact upon those issues and opportunities. a) the social value of marine activities to communities which are adjacent to or which gain significant benefit from the marine environment; b) the distribution of social values and drivers of change that affect the social value of marine activities; and c) the social impacts of predicted changes to marine activities on communities.