On Thursday 15 January 2026, The Protected Areas Foundation (The PAF) will turn the Scottish Parliament into a “window on the sea”, as coastal community groups bring the reality of life inside Scotland’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) directly to MSPs. The reception, Community 30×30 – A Coastal Regeneration Opportunity, sponsored by Mark Ruskell MSP, will share powerful stories of local stewardship and invite MSPs and statutory stakeholders to co-design a practical plan for turning Scotland’s “paper parks” into effective, community managed protected areas, supporting thriving seas and long-term coastal community jobs.
The PAF co-founders Belinda Bramley and Duncan MacRae will unveil new analysis and international evidence showing how co-managed protected areas can help governments meet their legal duty to achieve Good Environmental Status for the marine environment, while creating fair, long-term work in coastal communities. They will present a national “snapshot” of Scotland’s MPA network and show how international tools and best practice are being used to support coastal communities around Scotland.
Short films and 5 minute talks from community groups around the Scottish coast will bring this evidence to life. From divers monitoring protected habitats on winter mornings to volunteers running school projects and beach surveys, their stories reveal how local people are plugging gaps in management and monitoring on shoestring budgets – and what more they could do with proper backing.
The event will brief MSPs from all parties on:
- the multiple benefits of effectively managed MPAs for nature, climate, people and the economy;
- the shortcomings of current top-down MPA management in delivering ecological recovery and coastal regeneration, and the benefits of bottom-up approaches;
- successful examples from overseas of co-management approaches delivering local prosperity;
- the range of activities being carried out by communities in Scotland’s MPAs; and
- the potential of co-management and co-governance models to create fair, long-term jobs in coastal communities.
Mark Ruskell MSP, who is hosting the event, said: “Scotland has made important commitments on marine protection, but we are still a long way from healthy, thriving seas. Community 30×30 is a chance for MSPs to hear directly from the people who know these waters best and to see how supporting community co-management of marine protected areas can help us meet our climate, nature and blue economy goals.”
DuncanMacRae, Co-founder of The Protected Areas Foundation, said: “Community groups are already doing the work Scotland needs – monitoring wildlife, engaging fishers, educating young people and holding decision-makers to account. This event is about showing MSPs that with the right co-governance and funding framework, community led management of MPAs can become a cornerstone of coastal regeneration, not an afterthought.”
Belinda Bramley, Co-founder of The Protected Areas Foundation, said: “For too long, MPAs have been viewed as a threat by users of our seas and a brake on the economy. This is a myth. Time and again, international studies have shown that strongly protected, actively managed MPAs are the engine of blue economy growth. Scotland is home to almost two thirds of the UK’s seas, and Community 30×30 offers a strategic opportunity for Marine Policy delivery both domestically and internationally, raising MPA quality and community capacity and well-being”.
Noel Hawkins, from Ullapool Sea Savers, said: “Having lived and worked in and around Ullapool and Loch Broom since a kid, I have always loved the sea and it has played a central part in my life and is probably the most consistent love and passion of my life. The Wester Ross MPA is only ten years old, and we are seeing firsthand that it is working, and that the fisheries here have not been negatively affected. Give those that live and work here a sense of ownership, responsibility and pride, and they are far more likely to support and contribute to what is ultimately the best for all.”
The PAF is inviting MSPs to:
- recognise that effective community-led management of Scotland’s MPAs is a more strategic and effective investment into nature recovery than piecemeal restoration efforts alone;
- strengthen and enforce active management of MPAs so they truly conserve and recover habitats and species;
- formally embed community co-management of protected areas in Scotland’s marine policy framework, with clear roles and responsibilities; and
- co-create long-term funding mechanisms with stakeholders for community stewardship of protected areas.
Event details
- Title: Community 30×30 – A Coastal Regeneration Opportunity
- Organised by: The Protected Areas Foundation
- Sponsored by: Mark Ruskell MSP
- Date: Thursday 15 January 2026
- Time: 17:30–19:30 (registration from 17:00)
- Venue: The Burns Room, Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh.
Guests will hear short presentations from the PAF, watch films featuring Scotland’s MPAs and listen to contributions from community groups, followed by a drinks reception and opportunities for informal discussion and collaboration.
