Guiding Principles for Marine Restoration and Enhancement in the Shetland Islands: Insights from Community Feedback

This study builds upon initial efforts to explore marine restoration and enhancement opportunities in the Shetland Islands, aiming to co-develop, with local communities and stakeholders, guiding principles for marine restoration and enhancement in the Shetland Islands. This seeks to support a range of initiatives encompassing, government or philanthropic funded community, NGO and research activities, and those proposed by developers in response to impact mitigation. The primary objective of this phase was to refine and prioritise guiding principles for marine restoration, ensuring alignment with stakeholder perspectives across public, industry, governmental, and environmental sectors.

Community and Stakeholder Feedback Highlights
The stakeholder engagement process included an online survey, public displays, community events, and targeted engagement. A total of 271 individuals contributed feedback, with representation from local communities, marine industries, government agencies, and environmental organisations. Engagement was highest in Lerwick, Whalsay, and Dunrossness, with participation from 14 of the 16 active community councils. Survey responses demonstrated overwhelming support (93%) for integrating guiding principles into marine restoration and enhancement initiatives, with key priorities including effective knowledge-sharing (95% agreement), continuous stakeholder engagement (92%), and the protection of the Shetland Islands marine heritage (92%). Thematic analysis revealed community backing for research, innovation, and knowledge-sharing (83% agreement), with high interest in baseline and long-term monitoring data (89%). There was also notable support for active restoration, particularly initiatives involving marine litter removal and coastal habitat enhancement (85%). Community feedback underscored a preference for locally led management and self-governance (83%) over centralised governance and highlighted concerns about long-term funding availability and the potential impact of restoration initiatives on existing marine industries. Stakeholders echoed these concerns, emphasising the need for robust baseline data, adaptive restoration strategies, and management of pressures across the land-sea interface. Overall, findings indicate a strong consensus on the need for inclusive, data-driven, and locally informed marine restoration initiatives. The results of this engagement phase informed the refinement of the guiding principles.

Next Steps
The community and stakeholder feedback highlights the local support for different types of marine restoration and enhancement initiatives, informed through community engagement. Key priorities include valuing local knowledge and data and fostering collaboration. The next step involves the creation of a document for wider dissemination, guiding future marine restoration and enhancement initiatives in the Shetland Islands, balancing ecological priorities with community needs through collaboration and informed actions, supporting long-term sustainable management of Shetland’s seas.