Management Scheme Activities
For the purpose of European Marine Sites (EMS), activities are those actions that happen around our coasts and in our marine areas that are not plans or projects. Plans and projects are covered by other regulatory mechanisms such as marine licensing, and are not covered by the Solent European Marine Sites (SEMS) scheme of management. Activities may be controlled or managed by competent or Relevant Authorities (RA) on a continuing basis or may fall outside of any jurisdiction. Relevant Authorities often have some form of management or control over activities due to non-statutory functions such as land ownership. The Marine Protected Areas (MPA) national steering group have produced a document that looks at the duties on public authorities with regards to MPA management.
Risk Categories
Natural England works in partnership with management authorities to undertake risk assessments as required, using its feature sensitivity information and up-to-date activity data from appropriate authorities. It also undertakes condition assessments around the Solent to see whether sites are in favourable or unfavourable condition.
Activities that take Place within SEMS
The activities considered by the SEMS Management Scheme are classified to coordinate with Natural England’s conservation advice packages. These packages show what the impacts of activities can be on the SEMS sites.
Each year activities are monitored and reported on by the Solent's RAs and are subsequently discussed at their annual management group meeting. The resulting SEMS Annual Management Report sets out actions agreed by the SEMS management group to address issues arising from activities.
SEMS Management Scheme Activities
- Land recreation (includes Land recreation - Dog walking; Land recreation - Walking (other than dog walking); Land recreation - Other)
- Marine recreation (includes Recreation – non-motorised water sports - Windsurfing, kite surfing, kayaks, canoes, row boats, punts, paddle boards, dinghies, sailing boats; Recreation - Powerboating or sailing with an engine)
- Mooring and/or anchoring
- Recreation Light Aircraft
- Fishing (including shellfisheries)
- Shore-based fisheries (bait digging)
- Accidental vessel discharges / emissions including oil spill and clean-up
- Littering and removal of litter
- Wildfowling
- Operation of coastal flood and erosion risk management schemes
- Boat repair / maintenance
- Operation of ports and harbours
- Slipway and jetty cleaning and maintenance
- Watersports
Resources
- Managing marine recreational activities: a review of evidence. Natural England report (NECR242). Published 2017.
- A review of the effects of recreational interactions within UK European marine sites. Published 2000.
- Solent Forum Information Database - to search for relevant reports.
