‘Valuing our Seas’ workshops for marine planning project

An innovative workshop looking at the process of marine planning in Orkney will take place in Kirkwall and Stromness next month.

'Valuing our Seas' is part of the Orkney Marine Environment Project, which aims to improve availability and accessibility of environmental, social and economic data for marine planning, management, education and awareness raising.

The workshop will begin with a presentation on the project and participants will then get the opportunity to take part in an interactive marine planning exercise.

The event will be recorded using live visual minutes, a process of capturing comments on a large, evolving graphic representation of the day done by a professional team of artists.

The first workshop will be held in the St. Magnus Centre, Palace Road, Kirkwall on September 18; the second in the Warehouse Buildings, Victoria Street, Stromness on the September 19. Both events will run from 10.00 – 14.00. 

Attendance is free but must be booked in advance as places are limited. Coffee and lunch will be provided.

Please contact Shona Turnbull to register for the event by phoning 01856873535 extension 2531 or emailing her.

You can also book through Eventbrite using the following links:

To book the Stromness event through Eventbrite use this link

To book the Kirkwall event through Eventbrite use this link

It was announced in May that Orkney Islands Council has secured £119,000 from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for the Orkney Marine Environment Project, a state-of-the-environment assessment of the seas around Orkney.

The assessment will look at the current condition of the seas around Orkney out to 12 nautical miles, providing a firm foundation for sustainable management of Orkney's marine and coastal resources, establishing a baseline against which future marine planning and management can be maintained and evaluated.

Where information permits, it will also look at likely trends such as sea level rise or the economic growth of key marine sectors.

ICIT will be undertaking an independent review of the state of the environment assessment and will provide expert guidance along the way.

More information on marine planning in Orkney, including the Orkney Marine Environment Project, is available here on our Marine Planning pages