Lessons learned from developing the Pembrokeshire Marine Code

There is no doubt that the marine and coastal environment in Wales is crucial, not only in delivering employment in coastal communities but also for the health and wellbeing of our nation.

Our reasons for enjoying the coast are driven by the quality of the environment and the wildlife it supports. Unless this is protected, we risk losing the very ecosystems that provide our livelihoods and enjoyment. Managing large marine areas with multiple access points and uses is challenging, and requires significant resources.

Because of this, a voluntary approach to minimising disturbance to marine wildlife was developed in 2002, called the Pembrokeshire Marine Code. The Code focused on developing best practice though stakeholder engagement, education and communication and produced temporal and spatial agreed access restrictions.

This toolkit was developed to provide an overview of how and why a Marine Code was established in Pembrokeshire and to enable replication in other areas. It is based on over 10 years of learning (from the period 2002 to 2015) and covers wildlife species, target audience, training, education, funding and lessons learned.

If you would like to receive a copy of this toolkit, please complete the form below.