Dr Pamela Buchan leads new Marine Participation Review

The Marine Participation Review, led by ACCESS Leadership College Fellow Dr Pamela Buchan (University of Exeter), is funded by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) – the principal marine manager and regulator in England.

Dr Buchan’s team is conducting a systematic review of the opportunities (both in regulation and practice) for public participation in marine decision-making across the lifecycle of offshore wind projects in England.

This work will provide the MMO with new knowledge for marine planning, licensing, and management. More broadly, it will support the MMO to implement the Government’s ambition for sustainable use of the marine environment.

The project brings together and is supported by a unique stakeholder group that is cross-sector, cross-agency, and cross-discipline.

The Marine Participation Review was commissioned by Dr Aisling Lannin, Acting Chief Scientist and Head of Evidence and Evaluation at the MMO, and Co-Investigator on the project. Aisling is a member of the ACCESS Policy and Practice Working Group.

The project is supported by Professor Karen Bickerstaff (ACCESS Leadership Team, Net Zero Task Force, University of Exeter) and researchers from the University’s Green Futures Solutions initiative, who are working with stakeholders from across government, third sector, and industry. Professor Patrick Devine-Wright(ACCESS Director, University of Exeter) is a member of the stakeholder group.

The Marine Participation Review aims to develop a best-available evidence base on participation in aspects of marine management and regulation in England.

This should help to identify new mechanisms for participation and drive better social impacts for communities, seas, and coasts.