Marine (Scotland) Act 2010

99 Marine management schemes

(1) A relevant authority (or 2 or more relevant authorities acting together) may establish one or more marine management schemes for any or all of the following areas—

(a) any Nature Conservation MPA,

(b) any Demonstration and Research MPA,

(c) any European marine site situated within the Scottish marine protection area and which—

(i) is included in whole or in part in,

(ii) includes all or part of, or

(iii) adjoins,

a Nature Conservation MPA or a Demonstration and Research MPA.

(2) A marine management scheme is a scheme under which the relevant authority’s (or authorities’) functions must be exercised for the purpose of furthering any or all of the following—

(a) the stated conservation objectives for any Nature Conservation MPA to which the scheme applies,

(b) the stated purposes for any Demonstration and Research MPA to which the scheme applies,

(c) the protection of any European marine site to which the scheme applies.

(3) A marine management scheme may also impose the same requirement in relation to the exercise of any functions of the relevant authority (or authorities) which are not exercisable within the area (or areas) to which the scheme applies but the exercise of which may have an impact on the protection of that area (or those areas).

(4) A marine management scheme may be made for a period of time specified in it.

(5) The relevant authority (or authorities) making a marine management scheme may amend it from time to time.

(6) In this section and sections 100 to 102, a “relevant authority” means—

(a) any public authority exercising functions in the Scottish marine protection area, or

(b) the Scottish Ministers.