Planned Cuts to Marine Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage have fuelled fears that marine conservation priorities and future development of the marine resource will be adversely affected. In a recent Spending Review the Scottish Government has outlined significant year-on-year cuts to SNH and Marine Scotland, at a time when pressure on the marine environment is set to increase.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has spoken up in concerned opposition to the

depth of the cuts pointing out the inconsistency with Holyrood's stated support for offshore renewables in a bid to position Scotland as a green energy powerhouse. "In order to be sustainable and to play a key role, as they should, in reducing Scotland’s carbon emissions, marine renewable developments should be scrutinized far more rigorously than they are now.  The reduction in Marine Scotland’s budget ... can only make it more difficult for Marine Scotland to perform these important functions."

COAST agrees with the position of the Scottish Wildlife Trust which has identified the strategic mismatch of a reduction in marine and coastal funding whilst demonstrating a clear appetite to encourage development of the resource. Other observers note that the cuts will make it more difficult for Scotland to fulfil it legal obligations on the environment as part of the Wildlife and Habitats Directives, which will in turn risk court proceedings and fines from the European commission. The strategy to exploit Scotland's potential as an ecological stronghold for endangered species that could boost wildlife tourism, will correspondingly be put on hold.