Governance and power in the planning of Scotland's seas

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is rapidly becoming the dominant approach to managing human interactions with marine environments. As this happens we are making more attempts to understand how it operates and how it might be improved. This study focuses on the governance of complex marine environments through MSP in Scotland. It focuses specifically on transparency and participation in MSP, and the role of stakeholders and the public. It seems that the system in Scotland has some room for improvement in terms of transparency and participation. Evidence from land use planning there shows that resistance to MSP might emerge if these improvements are made. One suggestion is made on how this could be avoided