Community Engagement
Our UK seas and coasts are amazing. They give a home to wildlife, provide us with food, generate some of our energy and protect our coastline. We have amazing sea life right on our door steps and the UK SEAS project wants more people to join the celebration of our wonderful seas.
Community involvement in marine planning is critical. For an MPA to work, it needs to involve local people in shaping and delivering management. Having good engagement with the people on the ground makes sure that management decisions are realistic, inclusive and sustainable.
We want to put the voices of sea-users at the heart of discussions around the future management of our seas. In order to foster greater stewardship for MPAs in coastal communities, we will engage and inspire new audiences, who may not currently have a particular connection to the sea, to take action and advocacy for their local MPAs.
Our connection to the sea spreads further than we think – we want everyone to feel that connection, whether they use the sea every day or not. We will be partnering with other organisations to reach a range of audiences that have not yet discovered how incredible our seas are.