Wales Coasts and Seas Partnership (CaSP Cymru): 10 October 2024

David Tudor: CaSP Chair
Huw Iranca Davies: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs 
Molly Fairclough: Glamorgan Coastal Forum
Daniel Humphreys: Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
Simon Preddy: Keep Wales Tidy
Elise Lavender: Marine Conservation Society
Ffion Mitchell-Langford: Marine Conservation Society 
Gareth Cunningham: Marine Conservation Society 
Kirsty Lindenbaum: Natural Resources Wales
Reece Halstead: North Wales Wildlife Trust  (NRW)
Paul Renfro: Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum
Jetske Germing: Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum and Marine Evidence Wales
Leanne Cullen-Unsworth: Project Seagrass
Caroline Price: The Crown Estate
Rachel Sharp: Wildlife Trusts Wales
Penny Nelson: WWF Cymru
Alice Teague: Welsh Government
Caryn Le Roux: Welsh Government
Elen King: Welsh Government 
Rose Malleson: Welsh Government
Samuel Dorrington: Welsh Government

Alys Morris: Severn Estuary Partnership
Andrew Schofield: Evidence Platform Wales
Catherine Miller: WCVA
Chloe Wenman: Marine Conservation Society
Emily Williams-Slater: RSPB Cymru
Helen Duggan: Seafish
Jay Sheppard: Marine Energy Wales
Jon Parker: Aquaculture Industry Wales
Rowena Haines: RSPB Cymru
William Mansfield: Severn Tidal Energy Commission
Matt Edwards: Welsh Government 
Karen Stothard: Welsh Government 
Eluned Jones: Welsh Government 

The Chair, David Tudor (DT), welcomed everyone and provided an overview of the day.

DT introduced Huw Irranca-Davies, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change (DFM), and reaffirmed CaSP’s aim to support the delivery of the Welsh National Marine Plan’s vision for clean, healthy, sustainably managed, and biologically diverse seas. DT then provided an overview of the group’s progress over the last year.  

The DFM thanked the group for the opportunity to join the meeting, highlighting the collaborative efforts of CaSP. He noted that since he became the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, combined with his previous experience as Defra Minister for UK Government, he has got to know the sector well and concluded that the work CaSP has taken forward to support its main themes is key to the work Welsh Government is looking to achieve. 

The DFM also:

• commended the MARINE Fund Cymru as a model of partnership success
• emphasised the importance of ocean literacy in Wales for improving marine outcomes and involving communities in decision-making
• noted capacity building, skills development, and career pathways in the marine sector were crucial for resilient ecosystems
• acknowledged ongoing discussions about key marine issues, including offshore wind, biodiversity, and marine planning

The DFM concluded by appreciating the Partnership's collaborative efforts in supporting marine ecosystems and blue jobs in Wales, however he stressed that there is a need for tangible outcomes over the rest of the Senedd term to have an impact and to keep up the momentum into the next term.

The DFM took questions from Partnership members.

The DFM confirmed that discussions around future budgets are taking place in Cabinet, and if CaSP were able to show tangible outcomes and green growth, then there could potentially be an argument for a better budget for the sector going forward. 

The DFM emphasised that Welsh Government does not currently have sufficient funds to fulfil all of its 30by30 Biodiversity commitments. Further funding avenues will need to be explored – but with an emphasis on ensuring ethical investment in the sector. 

The DFM stated he was keen to draw on international expertise to support ‘high integrity’ outcomes, but that this would need to be tailored for Wales. The UK has started looking at this, but he ultimately wants to see Wales leading on high integrity. He acknowledged that there are numerous willing private investors, but we would need to funnel these through ethical practices.
DT added this would be critical for the MARINE Fund.

The DFM finished by encouraging the group to continue its vital work and, while he has budget and priority constraints, that it is a good time to push forward this work

A follow-up discussion covered various points including:

• concerns that achieving any short term tangible outcomes would be difficult, given the nature of the Partnership’s long term cross-cutting priorities
• the potential to present a piece to the Minister for Delivery (Julie James) to show the discipline of short-term delivery to support long term thinking
• whether the current delivery plan could be focussed in order to achieve this, potentially influencing the transition to the next government term in 2026

Action: Management group to refine CaSP’s current delivery plan to demonstrate the short term delivery linking to longer term tangible outcomes, and to explore how to present this to the Minister for Delivery. 

Caryn Le Roux (CLR) gave a brief update of ongoing secretariat actions: 

CaSP branding and website development

Branding has been developed for CaSP and for the Ocean Literacy strategy. The website has been delayed but work has begun.

Delivery plan and Highlight report

These documents were shared with the partnership during the meeting to take away and review. Feedback was requested as early as possible.

Membership update   

A reminder was made for those who had not already done so to complete the membership survey for GDPR purposes.

Concerns were raised by the partners regarding the website being kept up to date once it is launched. DT acknowledged this is an area which will need further thought but options are being considered by the secretariat. 

Further suggestions for representation in the Partnership were made including Energy Companies, UK government and Fisheries.

Action: Secretariat to progress options for communications management for CaSP e.g. a CaSP mailbox, managing website content and socials.

Action: Secretariat to invite representation from the Ministerial Advisory Group on Welsh Fisheries to join CaSP.

Ocean Literacy (Lead: Kirsty Lindenbaum)

KL provided a presentation on the latest progress of the Ocean Literacy working group. The presentation covered updates on:

• the governance structure of the group. Due to high engagement the Ocean Literacy Working Group has now become the Welsh Ocean Literacy Coalition (WOLC), and a new steering group of core members created
• the Ocean Literacy Strategy ‘Y Môr a Ni,’ including example pages of the near final strategy
• additional work on an animation and the Festival of the Sea (FotS)

A stable source of funding is also required to support the continuing delivery of the Y Môr a Ni actions. The steering group is exploring funding opportunities and had an initial meeting with the National Lottery Heritage Fund in September, and will now be taking time to consolidate the Coalition and clarify the project deliverables. After the publication of the strategy, securing funding will be a primary focus for the Ocean Literacy Steering Group and WOLC. 

Reece Halstead (RH), Wales’ Ocean Literacy Co-ordinator will be taking forward arrangements for the FotS and informed the group two locations have been secured (Flint and Milford Haven) for pilot festivals in spring 2024. The two pilots will test different approaches, with Flint taking place in a single area (Flint Castle) and Milford Haven taking place across the town. Final dates are to be confirmed pending discussions with interested parties. 

Blue Investment (Lead: Gareth Cunningham)

GC provided a presentation on the progress of the Blue Investment Working Group  to secure sustainable and long-term public, private, and blended finance to restore Marine Protected Areas and transform socio-economic systems. A subgroup, in collaboration with WCVA, is developing the Marine Resilience and Improvement of Natural Ecosystems (MARINE) Fund Cymru. WCVA, with Welsh Government support, is drafting fund guidance and recruiting a Fund Development Manager. Interviews for this post were set for October 11th, with potential re-advertisement if needed. Once recruited, the Manager will establish a steering group and decision-making panel, which will be discussed and finalised within the Blue Investment Working Group, and membership will be invited from across the Partnership. 

Action: Aquaculture Industry to join conversations and meetings around the development of the MARINE Fund.

Capacity Building (Lead: David Tudor)

DT provided an update and presentation on the progress of the Capacity Building Working Group. 

Progress since the last CaSP meeting:

• a workshop was held on 4th July in Cardiff, where a Theory of Change document was drafted, based on discussions held. This was circulated to workshop attendees in the first instance for comment, before being shared with this group for review
• a poll was conducted to identify priority areas from the Theory of Change, and three key areas emerged for initial focus:
  
  1. Well-resourced and Inclusive Leadership: 
  Output: A clear strategic direction for decision-making, collaboration, and securing long-term funding to support outcomes.
  
  2. A Skilled and Diverse Workforce with Employment Opportunities: 
  Mapping current situation/experience/networks with CaSP and other actors.
  
  3. Opportunities for People & Organisations to Shape Delivery of Priorities: 
  Output: Online coastal directory (and campaign) to engage people and organisations. Review participation mechanisms, promote platforms for local involvement, and create a transparent governance structure.

Next steps

• based on feedback received on the Theory of Change, an audit/stocktake of coastal governance and capacity will be progressed
• members are encouraged to provide their top priorities in the Theory of Change, and were invited to take forward any specific actions (workforce related workstream etc) outside of the working group

Action: Secretariat to schedule next Working Group Meeting

Marine Biodiversity Expert Group (Lead: Kirsty Lindenbaum)

KL summarised the Ecological Enhancement Opportunities Mapping work led by Helen Bloomfield in NRW which the Marine Biodiversity Expert Group provided input to earlier in the year.

There are several policies and areas of work that this mapping could support including:

• supporting development of MARINE Fund Cymru by identifying the most significant opportunities to restore/ recover the marine environment
• Welsh National Marine Plan policy development and implementation
• Welsh Government’s seagrass and saltmarsh restoration priority
• the Crown Estate's whole of seabed programme for offshore wind

Notably, the term "Enhancement" includes:

• recovery: removing pressures for natural recovery
• restoration: active rebuilding of habitats or species
• creation/introduction: establishing new habitats or species

In addition, the mapping will highlight where important evidence gaps exist, which need to be addressed to progress our wider ambitions for recovery of marine ecosystems. The plan is to develop products over time to identify potential areas of opportunity, and then refine through considering feasibility and desirability, to help focus resources / delivery on the actions that have the best chance of supporting enhanced resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems in Wales. 

Natural Resources Wales would like to form a small steering group as we progress this work, which we will also bring back to the wider MBEG group periodically.

Action: Partnership members to consider putting themselves forward to be part of small steering group for NRW’s Ecological Enhancement Opportunities Mapping work.

Karen Stothard and Rose Malleson provided an update on the Welsh Government's plan to embed environmental principles into law, establish a governance body, and introduce biodiversity targets to tackle the nature emergency. 

A summary of the consultation on the White Paper, and the potential use of the SMNR Goals, was presented and discussed. The team will continue to develop these approaches and update the Partnership in future meetings.

Elen King gave a presentation on monitoring of the Welsh National Marine Plan (WNMP), a strategic framework guiding sustainable marine development in Wales. Monitoring is required by the Marine and Coastal Access Act and occurs every three years, providing essential feedback on the plan's implementation. The first report (2022) showed progress, with increased use of the plan in decision-making and new tools helping public authorities. However, most of the evidence is qualitative, making it hard to directly link the plan to real-world outcomes, given external factors like environmental changes. The second report, due in 2025, will incorporate stakeholder feedback to improve marine planning and provide better resources for future decision-making.

Action: Secretariat to circulate a request for feedback on the implementation and effectiveness of the WNMP over the last three years. 

Eluned Jones gave a presentation on the Welsh Government commissioned independent review of marine planning approaches. Led by Arup, and running from September 2024 to March 2025, the review will examine best practices from other marine and terrestrial planning systems, explore opportunities for building on the current planning framework to provide greater spatial clarity, and consider approaches for balancing support for renewable energy with enhancing the marine environment. Stakeholder engagement, through interviews and workshops, will play a key role, and the findings will be presented to Huw Irranca-Davies MS, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.

Action: CaSP members to participate and give their views on the Independent Review of Marine Planning Approaches by Arup. Privacy notice and details on how to get involved will be shared by the Secretariat.

Caroline Price provided an overview of The Crown Estate’s Whole of Seabed Approach, which seeks to develop a cohesive evidence base (covering all marine sector activity and nature) to inform future leasing decisions on the seabed and foreshore around England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

Demands on the marine space are increasing and there is a need to improve the data within the spatial modelling tools used to account for an even busier sea. A whole range of partners and stakeholders are feeding into work to help build a shared evidence base that multiple organisations can make use of. This evidence relates to activities The Crown Estate has a leasing remit over, as well as activities not linked to TCE’s role (i.e. fisheries, navigation, defence, oil and gas). The WoS programme brings together information that allows understanding of the situation today and the exploration of how future demands can be accommodated. More information on the Whole of Seabed approach can be found here (on thecrownestate.co.uk), along with a more detailed methodology report. 

Of particular interest to CaSP members is the integration of data about nature, and methods being explored within the WoS approach to represent opportunities for nature alongside other sectoral activity. TCE thanked those members of CaSP who have fed into this work and are keen to collaborate further to strengthen the ongoing iterations of the WoS evidence base. Social benefit is built into the model, but further work is required to improve this area. They would be grateful for more data on this.

The evidence base captured in the WoS spatial tools will help inform discussions and decision making about pathways for the UK to achieve its net zero, nature recovery and energy security targets. More information about the Marine Delivery Routemap is available here (on thecrownestate.co.uk).

William Mansfield gave a presentation on the Severn Estuary Commission, which was launched in March 2024 by the Western Gateway with support from the UK and Welsh Governments. It aims to explore the feasibility of tidal energy development in the Severn Estuary, which could meet up to 7% of the UK's electricity needs. The commission is tasked with balancing energy security with ecological preservation, in line with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act. Its objectives include reviewing environmental, legislative, and socio-economic factors, assessing tidal energy methods, and exploring financial models for long-term projects. A consortium of experts will address environmental, socio-economic, and financial aspects, with stakeholder engagement key to informing recommendations.

Action: Secretariat will share contact details for  the Seven Estuary Commission as well as any further communications. 

KL reminded everyone of the invitation to the NRW Coastal Squeeze webinar on 6th November. 

CLR informed everyone that the Fisheries Division has a consultation opening on the Joint Fisheries Statement and that the Seabird conservation strategy consultation will launch in November.

AT added that there is also a consultation open on Marine Licensing.

DT concluded the meeting by sharing the dates for meetings in 2025: 

• 13th February 2025, in Aberystwyth
• 19th June 2025, venue tbc
• 9th October 2025, in Cathays Park, Cardiff

Action: CaSP members to hold next year’s dates in calendars

1. Management group to refine CaSP’s current delivery plan to demonstrate the short term delivery linking to longer term tangible outcomes, and to explore how to present this to the Minister for Delivery.
2. Secretariat to progress options for communications management for CaSP for e.g. a CaSP mailbox, managing website content and socials.
3. Secretariat to invite representation from the Ministerial Advisory Group on Welsh Fisheries to join CaSP.
4. Aquaculture Industry to join conversations and meetings around the development of the MARINE Fund.
5. Secretariat to schedule next Working Group Meeting
6. Partnership members to consider putting themselves forward to be part of small steering group for NRW’s Ecological Enhancement Opportunities Mapping work.
7. Secretariat to circulate a request for feedback on the implementation and effectiveness of the WNMP over the last three years.
8. CaSP members to participate and give their views on the Independent Review of Marine Planning Approaches by Arup. Privacy notice and details on how to get involved will be shared by the Secretariat.
9. Secretariat to share contact details for  the Seven Estuary Commission as well as any further communications.
10. CaSP members to hold next year’s dates in calendars